Live Today Die Tomorrow
by M.R.Riverdell
Summary: A new threat rises with power to rival Voldemort. In unexpected circumstances can Ron and Hermione defeat the odds and the evil without the whole wizarding world finding out? Post-war AU. T for mild swears & adult themes. Heavy Romione with a bit of Hinny.
1. Live Today Die Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. There will be two disclaimers in each chapter. One at the top and another down the bottom. You'll find out why very soon.

 **A/N:** Hey Guys this is my second Fanfic. I have written the entire thing already, but I'll only be posting once a week.

It starts off with next to no plot. But by the 5th or 6th chapter it turns into something much more exciting.

This is definitely a Ron / Hermione Fanfiction. It focuses completely around them.

Hope you like it as much as I do. If you don't like it, then I have no idea why you're reading it. It starts off during the battle of Hogwarts.

Big thanks to my Beta, Sylaises Fire. She's my Beta-Buddy. Good on ya, Sylaises Fire. You're the best.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 1: Live Today Die Tomorrow

It was late at night. The ear splitting screams of agonising pain seemed to be drowned out by the constant explosions of both bodies and buildings.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had narrowly escaped the intense grasp of the fiendfyre when they turned into a destroyed corridor, curses still ricocheting down the hall. The trio were on high alert, any slight movement made them jump.

"We can't stay here." Hermione struggled to say through ragged breaths. "We're bound to get hit. We need to move."

Hermione's words were barely audible through the sounds of exploding curses and hollers of excitement from the ever increasing enemy.

"Perce?!" Ron exclaimed in both disbelief and amusement as he stared at his older brother who was currently jabbing his wand into the stomach of a masked death eater.

"Ron! You're alive!" Percy retrieved his wand from the guts of the now dead death eater and ran towards Ron and enveloped him in a hug. "I thought you were dead."

"At one point so did I."

"Oi, Ronnie! While we're alive you wouldn't mind helping, would you?!" came a voice from down the hall.

"Fred?!" Ron turned in the direction of the voice. The cascading rubble created such a thick cloud of smoke that it made it very hard to see through. "Where's George?!" Ron's face suddenly became ill-looking and his strong posture faltered as images of George's dead body infiltrated his mind.

"Don't worry about Georgie. He was trying to find a Thestral the last time I saw him. Looked like a blind man without a cane if you ask me." Fred responded as he appeared from out behind the smoke. "He'll be fine. It's us I'm worried about."

By this time everyone was busy defending the castle from the death eaters; blocking curses, hexes and spells and when possible firing a jinx or two back at the perpetrators to try and get the upper hand.

As more curses were being cast in their direction a dark, masked figure appeared before Percy. Hermione extended her wand and removed the mask to reveal a very angry looking Thicknesse.

Percy was slightly shocked at the sight of his boss but proceeded to duel with him, rendering him unconscious within seconds.

Hermione leant forward and spoke clearly into Harry's ear. "Harry, we need to get moving." She managed to say before being caught up in another one-on-one battle.

Harry nodded in agreement and made his way over to Ron, who was currently fighting off a death eater's curse. Harry dodged a couple of spells before grabbing hold of Ron's shoulder. Ron spun around hastily, causing Harry to stumble backwards in fright.

"Bloody Hell! Don't do that!" Ron exclaimed.

"Sorry, but I really think we need to go now."

Seeing an opportune moment, the death eater Ron was fighting took off into the night. "I almost had him." Ron said as he made his way over to where the death eater last stood.

"Ron! Now!" Hermione yelled from a couple of feet away. She was still firing inaudible hexes as she slowly made her way to where Ron and Harry were defending themselves against the curses.

"We need to get Fred and Percy and leave this corridor!" Her voice was trembling in both fear and anger.

"Alright. I'll get Fred. Harry, you get Percy." Ron then looked at Hermione. "Hermione you lead the way." Ron eye's lingered on her a little while longer before he turned to find his brother.

Harry jumped over large pieces of broken walls trying to get back to Percy. When he got there he heard Percy talking with Thicknesse.

"Hello, Minister!" Percy exclaimed as he fired a jinx towards his boss. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"Percy, we're going now!" Harry yelled at Percy.

"You go. I'll keep them distracted."

"No! This isn't a choice. Death eaters have breached this side of the castle. We need to head back to the hall." Harry said as he dragged Percy by the arm and into the second corridor.

There they met up with Ron, Hermione and Fred. "Percy? You made a joke! My brother actually made a joke!" Fred said as he clapped his hands in a solo round of applause. A slight smile spread across their faces at Fred's remark. Without warning all five of them were forced to the ground by an enormous explosion that had come from the corridor they had just left.

Percy jumped up quicker than he had fallen.

As Harry sat up, his hand went to his eye. A large piece of rubble had cut him along his brow as he was falling. He pulled his hand away from his face and noticed blood was covering his fingers.

"Ron! Hermione! Are you alright?" Harry called out in concern.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ron responded, lending his hand to Hermione to help her up off her bleeding knees.

"Where's Fred?" Percy was the first to speak after the explosion. "Fred?! Fred! Where are you?! FRED!"

"P…Percy…" Ron stuttered, his gaze never left the still body on the cold floor.

"FRED!" The scream that tore itself from Percy's throat drowned out the clashes of the now distant battle. "No. No. NO! FRED!" Percy reached Fred's body a moment before Ron.

As Percy looked down at Fred's body he stumbled backwards out of shock, legs threatening to give way. Tears breached his eyes as reality started to settle in. He was in such shock that he stood plastered to one spot.

Ron, on the other hand, had no shame. When he reached Fred's body he dropped to his knees and openly wept.

"If I had just done what Hermione had said in the first place… he would still be… he would be." Ron scooped up Fred's limp form in his long arms and spoke through tears, "Fred. Please, don't be…"

Hermione quietly placed her hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron."

Ron just looked up at Hermione then over to his other brother now leaning against a wall that hadn't yet been destroyed.

Ron nodded softly and wiped away his tears on the back of his dirty hand before standing and stepping away from Fred's body.

"We need to get away from here before we end up…" Ron trailed off choking on fresh sobs.

Percy stepped away from Harry and took a step closer towards Ron. He opened his arms wide. Ron broke down into a wave of sobs as he curled his tall frame into the embrace of his older brother. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Ron broke the hug.

"We need to go." Ron spoke again. Percy nodded in assent and the four silently turned and walked down the corridor. They would return in time to retrieve Fred's body but for now they needed to get out while they still could. While they were alive. They made it to the end of the hall when they heard someone speak.

"Aren't you going to take my body?!"

When Percy heard this he was expecting to see the ghost of Fred. The group turned around slowly, the shock coursing through their blood prohibiting them to move quickly. Standing in the middle of the corridor, in all his glory, was Fred. Real Fred; alive.

"Fred?" An overwhelmed Percy questioned with difficulty.

"You know I thought that at least one of you would check my pulse. Were you really just going to leave me there? …I could've died!"

"We thought you HAD died!" Screamed Percy.

However Fred's eyes were drawn to Ron and the rage etched deeply onto his face as Ron closed the gap between them.

Fred took a couple of steps backwards but it didn't accomplish much. Ron was already standing in front of him. He drew his fist back and rammed it into Fred's face with such force that Fred was flung to the ground.

Fred clutched his face as he stumbled to his feet. "What was that for?!"

"What the bloody hell do you **think** it was for?!" Ron yelled sarcastically, spraying Fred with spit.

"Say it, don't spray it! Alright, alright, I understand I might have taken it a little too far." Fred said as he wiped the spit from his face.

"A little? You pretended to be dead…in the middle of a war." Harry stated as he stepped between the brothers before Fred _actually_ ended up dead.

"Can we please leave now?" Hermione begged.

The boys turned to Hermione and nodded.

"I still can't believe you're alive." Percy stated as he embraced Fred.

Fred looked over at Ron. "Come on, Ronnie. Hug me." Ron reluctantly joined his brothers in the hug. "Aren't you happy I'm alive?" Fred questioned Ron.

"Sure." Ron begrudgingly admitted.

"Can we please leave now" Hermione begged, Harry nodding in agreeance beside her.

Fred broke the hug but kept his arms slung around the necks of his brothers. "At least I learned something from this experience." Fred spoke as the five made their way around to a safer part of the castle.

Hermione wasn't a fan of Fred's _'I'll pretend to be dead'_ prank. In Hermione's opinion, death was no laughing matter. "Did you learn that pretending to be dead can really upset the emotional balance of a person's wellbeing?" Hermione responded, her tone acidic.

"No."

"What did you learn?" Harry hissed.

"I learnt not to trust any of you with my body."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No Freds were harmed during the making of this chapter. In fact, Fred would really like it if you reviewed and told him how much you love him.


	2. Die Today Forget Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter…or Ronald Weasley…or Hermione Granger.

 **A/N:** Second Chapter. I hope you liked the first chapter. Silly Fred.

I will be posting weekly, on the Sunday (if I remember). Reviews are very much appreciated. Big thanks to all who have reviewed already. Keep them coming.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 2: Die Today Forget Tomorrow

Ron and Percy still hadn't forgiven Fred for his ridiculous prank by the time they had made their way to a more secure part of the castle.

"It was only a bit of fun. A joke." Fred tried to convince his brothers.

"Well it wasn't a very good Joke." Percy seethed.

"Joke? Joke?! Some bloody joke?! I'll give you a proper Joke! 'What's black and white and red all over?'" Ron spat, covering Fred in spit once again.

Fred wiped his face with his hands before exclaiming, "I know that one!"

"How can you possibly know the answer when even I don't know the answer to it?" Ron shouted as he stopped in the middle of a corridor that was close to The Great Hall.

"Well, my eye is black, my skin is white and my hair is red. Black, white, red." Fred smirked.

"You're such a wanker, Fred." Ron responded to Fred's stupid answer.

The group rounded the corner and proceeded to The Great Hall directly in front of them. No one was guarding the large closed doors which immediately put the five on edge.

"It's so quiet." Hermione softly stated as they stood silently beyond the closed doors.

As they continued further down the corridor they grew suspicious at the unexpected sounds emitting from behind the closed doors.

"Do you hear that?" Harry asked.

"There's a war going on around us, Harry. There's a lot to hear." Hermione voiced her opinion.

Without responding to Hermione's statement Harry stepped forward and slowly opened The Great Hall doors. The others filed in behind Harry, staring at the shocking scene before them; students and teachers huddled together in small groups, white sheets covering nonliving forms, shielding eyes from the familiar faces of their fallen peers. The aroma of the massive room was horrid. The smell of burning flesh, blood and death bombarded their senses. All hands went to noses as they continued to walk slowly past familiar faces. At the far end of the hall sat Molly crying freely on a step, Arthur's arms encasing her. He, too, had tears in his eyes.

"Mum" Percy croaked out as he picked up his pace and headed towards her. "Mum!" He called louder as he got nearer. Fred and Ron weren't far behind him. Hermione and Harry stayed back.

Hermione shuffled closer to Harry as she noticed people staring at them. The boy who lived is still alive. There is hope for them after all. From off in the distance she spotted Ginny making her way through the crowd to join her and Harry.

On closer inspection, Hermione noticed that Ginny's eyes were unnaturally puffy. "Ginny." Hermione began to speak but started to choke on her own tears.

A fresh wave of tears had Ginny rubbing her eyes once more. She had been strong for the students but with all of the built up stress, the relief of seeing Harry alive made her feel vulnerable and young again. She continued to wipe the tears away from her eyes as she made her way into Harry's embrace. She squeezed him tight as if to convince herself that he was alive. His warm arms came around to hold her close. This act was all the confirmation she needed. She broke the hug and stepped back.

Harry stared at Ginny, then Hermione, then back to Ginny. "Who?" He didn't want to seem so straight forward, but he felt guilty for all the death that was happening lately. He looked into Ginny's swollen eyes and thought that he should be grieving with her.

"It's… It's Lupin." She responded sombrely. Her tears were gone now, but were replaced with soft sniffles and deep breaths.

"Lu…" Harry barely uttered.

"And Tonks." She added, this time with tears threatening to escape again. Hermione drew in a quick breath and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked. She didn't want to believe it. It was only a couple of hours ago that she had seen her arrive at the castle with the rest of the Order. This got her thinking; how many more Order members were dead? How many had sacrificed their lives for this moment? How many more people were going to die under the reign of Voldemort? Hermione turned to Harry saying, "You need to end this. Tonight."

Harry nodded in approval. He knew he had to end this. This is what he was born to do. This was the moment he kept having nightmares about. He had spent months on end hunting for horcruxes and destroying them, all to come down to this moment.

"Hermione, you need to find the snake and destroy it. Use the basilisk fang. Whatever you do, don't stop until it's dead." Harry said with finality.

Harry gave one last look at the girls. He started walking off then stood still in the middle of the room. Ginny had her eyes locked on him, Hermione already searching the growing crowd for Ron. Harry turned on the spot and strode back towards where the Ginny was standing.

Harry clasped his hands firmly around Ginny's neck and pulled her into a kiss. He let go and nodded at Ginny before quickly marching off back towards the hall doors.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ginny yelled loudly.

"I'm going to finish this!" He called back before vanishing out of sight.

* * *

Mourning came when the sun rose. Voldemort had been defeated and the snake was killed. Although the Dark Lord was dead it came with dreadful costs; bodies scattered the grounds and even more bodies were being unearthed from large piles of rubble. Some were still alive but most were dead.

Harry found Ginny sitting on a broken stone step. He kicked a couple of rocks in her direction so his presence wouldn't startle her.

Ginny heard the rocks and looked up to see Harry standing there waiting for her to invite him. She smiled at him briefly and patted the rocky step beside her.

Harry made himself comfortable on the stone step. After a couple of minutes just sitting in silence Ginny placed her head on his shoulders and breathed out a shaky sigh.

"I can't believe they're gone." She murmured, never lifting her head.

Harry nodded in agreement as he thought about Lupin and Tonk's unwanted death. "At least now their son won't have to grow up in a world ruled by death eaters and Dark Lords."

"You did well, Harry. At least Teddy still has his Godfather." Ginny whispered. Harry smirked slightly before returning to his thoughts.

"I just want to put this all behind us. I just want to move on and forget this horrible night." Ginny spoke after another couple of minutes of silence. She moved her head from his shoulder to look at his dirty, cut face.

They made eye contact as he turned his gaze towards her. "I don't." Harry said simply. She was so startled by his comment that she jumped backwards slightly to ogle at him.

"How can you say that? People have died, Harry." Ginny fumed.

"Exactly. Forgetting this war means to forget the people who have died for us. I don't want to forget them. Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore, Sirius, even Snape."

"Snape?"

"I'll explain it later. All these people, and more, fought alongside us. I never want to forget the people who sacrificed themselves for the wizarding world. Yes, it's painful to think of the loss, Ginny, but Voldemort is dead. He's gone. The nightmare is over."

"I guess so. But there are some things from the past couple of years that I do want to forget." She said as she fiddled with her fingers.

"I don't blame you. But we'll get through it." He responded gently.

"Mind if we join you?" Came a familiar female voice from behind the couple. Ginny and Harry turned to see Ron hand in hand with Hermione.

Ginny scooted over closer to Harry to allow room for Ron to sit down on the other side of her with Hermione on the other side him. Silence washed over the two couples. It was a welcome change after hearing terrified screams throughout the night.

"So, what do we do now?" Ginny voiced as they all sat along the step.

"I guess we go home." Ron answered.

"What about Harry?" Ginny exclaimed in surprised.

"I have Godric's Hollow. There's no one there now and it rightfully belongs to me." Harry answered in a less than cheerful tone. "Although it might need a good clean."

"I can't go home" Hermione said quietly, earning looks from the other three.

"Sure, you can." Ron put his arm around her. "I'm sure your parents will be glad to hear that their daughter isn't dead."

"Ron, you don't get it!" Hermione said firmly and turned to Ron, who retracted his arm quickly. "Before I showed up at your house for the wedding, I altered my parent's memories. They have no idea they have a daughter."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron questioned her gently.

"It wasn't safe to tell anyone what I had done. Besides, Voldemort's followers were interrogating anyone they could get their hands on. Whether they were magic folk or muggles. I had told my parents everything about Harry. I didn't want to risk his life. Even if it meant deleting me from their past."

Harry sat pondering on Hermione's words. Ron spoke to break the tension. "So, let me get this straight. You told your parents everything about Harry?"

"Yes." She replied simply.

"Did you tell them about me?" He asked with a lopsided smirk etched on his face.

"Ron! Her parents don't even know they have a daughter and you're trying to joke about it!" Ginny exclaimed giving her brother's arm a good whacking.

"Can we do anything to change it all back?" Harry spoke to distract the fighting siblings.

"Altering the memory requires a lot of concentration and skill, so adding an extra alteration on top of an existing one can be very dangerous. Even if it is changing things back to the way things were before. There is the chance that the alteration could go completely wrong and they'll end up like Professor Lockhart; or worse. Unfortunately, statistics say that memory modification fails more times than it succeeds."

"But you still went ahead and erased yourself from their minds. All because of me." Harry spoke with anger evident in his tone, angry at himself for the situation Hermione was left in.

"Harry, stop. It's not your fault. I didn't do it because of you. I did it because of the death eaters and because of Voldemort."

"Hermione, can you go home at all?" Ginny stopped bickering with Ron to ask her this.

"No. The house was sold not long after I left for The Burrow."

"What? You sold your house?" Ginny asked.

"I sent my parents to Australia after I changed their memory. I hoped it would keep them safe from any immediate harm. Our house sold not long after they left."

"Well, that leaves us with one thing left to do." Ron began as he stood facing the others, offering a helping hand to Hermione. She took it gratefully and she rose slowly to her feet beside him, confused at his antics. "You'll come live with us." He smiled broadly.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Hermione Granger was not harmed during the making of this chapter. Unfortunately, her parent's memories were. If they could remember anything at all I'm sure they would remember to review.


	3. Forget Today Work Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter series. If I did, I'd be J.K. But I'm not, so I'll just write Fanfiction instead.

 **A/N:** My version of 'The Burrow' is based on the house after it was burned down from death eaters. It is still being remade and not everything is the same as 'The Burrow' we first fell in love with.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 3: Forget Today Work Tomorrow

It had been four days since the fall of Voldemort. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione had stayed at Hogwarts the following couple of days to assist the remaining professors and students in the clean-up. Hogwarts still had a long way to go before students were able to return for the next school year.

"Welcome, Miss Granger to the ultimate summer getaway." Ron announced as he and Hermione stood outside the front entrance of The Burrow. "Harry has already moved in. He was going to move into Godric's Hollow but mum refused to let him live alone."

"Why didn't you move in with him?" She asked when she turned to him.

"Hermione have you seen that place?! It's not liveable for one person let alone two."

"So he's moved in here." She stated and marvelled at the new and improved Burrow.

The outside of the house looked just as lopsided as their previous 'Burrow'. However, the overall structure of the house seemed a lot safer. Although the light grey suede painted walls were slanted at odd angles, the dark slated roof held everything firmly in place. There was even a warm wooden deck that reached around the base of the house.

Ron took Hermione's bags and led her up the deck stairs. Hermione surveyed the gracious deck before answering, "It's perfect." Ron opened the front door, stepping aside to let her in.

The inside of The Burrow portrayed the Weasley family feel that Hermione was hoping to see. The sitting room to her left was spacious and carpeted. Low sofas and big bulgy armchairs were placed evenly around the room. To her right she could see a large second hand table in the middle of the dining room. The table had burn marks and carvings etched into its surface and many different styled chairs surrounding it.

On the walls near the front of the house several knick-knacks scattered shelves and multiple knitted items were slung over hanging hooks. Directly in front of the entryway was an old grandfather clock. It stood taller than Ron and its face mimicked the magic clock from their old home. Unfortunately, when the 'Old Burrow' was burnt it took along most of the Weasleys possessions including their magical grandfather clock. When the new Burrow had been built Arthur and Molly had bought a second hand clock from a muggle antique store in London and spruced it up using magic. This clock had all the same properties as the old clock; spoons with the faces of all the Weasley children that were magically monitoring the whereabouts of each family member.

Hermione was marvelling the clock, still in awe of the new improved Burrow when she heard footsteps coming from up the winding stair case. "Hermione!" Ginny came blundering down the stairs. "Hermione, come on, move it! Follow me!" Ginny ran forward and grabbed Hermione's covered cage which Ron had brought inside and placed with the rest of her luggage. She went to run off in the direction of the stairs but the heavy cage prevented her from doing so.

Ginny jerked back almost ripping her arm out of her socket. A loud screech emitted from within the covered cage. "What in the world do you have in here?" She said while straightening herself up and rubbing her sore arm.

"Well, judging from the sounds, Crookshanks seems to be alive…just. That sound could be him dying." Ron chuckled.

"Ron!" Hermione swatted Ron's arm. "It's alright Crookshanks. Just ignore him." Hermione crooned to the cage.

"Sorry Crooky. Come on, Hermione." Ginny said as she carefully lifted Crookshanks' cage with both arms and proceeded up the stairs.

"What's all this about?" Hermione faced Ron and asked in pure bewilderment.

"It's Ginny. It could be anything." The two headed up the stairs but when they came to Ginny's bedroom Ginny wasn't there and neither was Crookshanks.

"Ginny?" Hermione called out along the corridor. "Where did she go?" She asked Ron.

"Probably to dispose of that cat of yours." He chuckled again. Hermione just ignored him and continued along the corridor.

"Ginny, where are you?" She called again only to get a meow from the cat cage that had been left outside one of the doors. "Crookshanks, there you are. Where's Ginny?" She said as she grabbed her ugly cat from the cage. She stood up, Crookshanks cradled in her arms, and looked at the door in front of her. She knocked loudly on the door. "Ginny? Are you in there?"

"I don't know, am I?" Came Ginny's voice from the other side of the door.

Hermione let out a small laugh and with one free hand opened the door to the room. Inside the walls were pale blue and the floor boards were polished. The room itself was quite empty. All that could be seen was a double bed directly in front of her, the foot of the bed closest to her. Ginny was sitting cross legged on top of it.

"Ginny? Wha-?" Hermione began to question her friend's unusual behaviour but was cut off by Ginny's booming voice.

"Welcome." Ginny spoke loudly. "The bathroom is up one floor and the kitchen is down on the ground floor. I hope you enjoy your stay. However long you'll be staying for." She finished and moved off the bed. "Sorry, I messed up your bed." She got off the bed and attempted to straighten the sheets before smiling widely and leaving the room. Hermione was left standing there with her mouth slightly ajar out of shock and Crookshanks struggling to break free of her grasp.

"Did she really mean…?"

Ron just nodded with his lop-sided grin. "This is your room."

"But…?"

"It was Percy's but he's moved out. So have the Twins. They live above the joke shop now. Harry's got their old room. Everyone has their own room. Except for Dad. You know, 'cause he shares with Mum."

"This is my room." She said barely above a whisper as she ran her free hand along the foot of the bed. _Her bed_. "I can't believe it. Really?"

"Yeah. Oh, check this out!" He shouted happily as he dragged Hermione over to a cupboard door in the room. He opened the concertina door to reveale a knitted fort. Molly had obviously made it. "It's for Crookshanks. See, it has three levels, a scratching post, and his own little hide out." Ron explained as he pointed to a medium-sized knitted box with a hole in it.

Upon seeing this marvellous creation Crookshanks leapt from Hermione's arm and made his way to the top level of the knitted fort where he began cleaning his paws.

"I asked Mum if we could give him his own room. Everyone else got one." He turned to Hermione and saw her staring at him with a smile plastered on her face. "What?"

* * *

Harry had already unpacked his belongings into his room further up the stairs. After being shown his room Arthur insisted he come and have a look at the new muggle shed. The shed may have been new but Harry thought it looked like a cyclone had built it.

"I made it myself." Arthur declared joyously. _That explains a lot_ , Harry thought.

"No magic: just me and my two hands. I love muggles. Very clever they are."

After a while of explaining to Arthur how a jack-in-the-box works they decided to head back inside. When they reached the kitchen they found Kingsley Shacklebolt, the newest Minister for Magic, seated at the table.

"Ah, Minister, why do we have the pleasure of your company?" Arthur gladly greeted his boss. Kingsley shook Harry's hand first before greeting Arthur.

"I was told that I could find Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger at this address."

"Yes, that's true. Molly and I didn't find it fit to leave Harry and Hermione by themselves." Arthur continued, now a bit wary of where this conversation was heading.

"Have they done something wrong? Is it Ronald?" Molly questioned from behind the kitchen counter, wand in hand, potatoes peeling themselves.

The minister gave a deep throaty chuckle. "No, they haven't done anything wrong. Would I be able to talk to them in private?"

Arthur looked over to Harry. Harry simply nodded.

"Hermione's upstairs unpacking, I'm sure Ron is helping her." Molly turned to Harry. "Harry, why don't you go fetch them, dear?" She turned back to Kingsley and led him in the direction of the sitting room. "You can use the sitting room." Molly said sweetly.

Harry silently made his way up the stairs and was about to knock on Ginny's door before he remembered that Hermione doesn't share Ginny's room anymore. He continued until he came to the next room.

He didn't think to knock. He entered expecting to see the two of them sorting through Hermione's belongings but was greeted by the pair on Hermione's bed, violently snogging each other.

A shocked "Ah!" escaped Harry's mouth before he instantly backed out of the room and slammed the door. Harry heard shuffling and grumbling along with assorted swear words from Ron's vocabulary. "If you two could finish up, Kingsley's waiting for us down stairs. He wants to talk to us in the sitting room." Harry spoke rather quickly before leaving for the sitting room.

* * *

5 minutes later, Kingsley and the trio were in the sitting room. The awkwardness between Harry, Ron and Hermione was rising. Hermione refused to look at Harry.

Kingsley felt tension between the three. "You're not getting sent to Azkaban, you can relax." Kingsley thought that saying this would relax them. It only made them tense up more.

"Minister, what is this about?" Hermione asked feeling quite uneasy. She rubbed her hands out of nervousness.

"I've come to ask for your help."

"Our help?" Ron questioned as he smiled and puffed out his chest in pride at the fact that the Minister for Magic was asking for their assistance.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. Death eaters are on the run but with their leader defeated they only have little time before our Aurors catch them. Unfortunately, during the war many of my best Aurors were killed or traumatised so badly that they were declared unfit for duty. We can't catch them with so few Aurors left for the job."

"So, you want us to catch the Death Eaters?" Harry responded with eagerness in his voice.

"Yes…and no." Kingsley answered…sort of.

"I don't understand, Minister. What exactly are you asking us to do?" Hermione asked.

"I want you to come work for me. In the Auror Department of course."

"But we haven't even had any training." Ron spoke, confusion written on his face.

"You've had plenty of training. You've all been fighting off Voldemort since you first started at Hogwarts. There will be times when you will need a helping hand but I'm sure the more experienced Aurors can help you there. I need all the help I can get to put those Deaths Eaters away for good. What do you say? Can I rely on you?"

"Yes!" Ron shouted a little too loudly which earned him strange looks from Hermione and Harry. "I mean, yeah, sure." He said less enthusiastically.

"I'll do what I can to help." Harry replied to Kingsley's question.

"What exactly will you have us doing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Potter and Weasley will be in the field. I need all the experienced ones out searching for the Death Eaters. You on the other hand will be stationed at the Ministry." Kingsley said in his deep voice as he gestured to Hermione.

"I'm not meaning to sound rude Minister but Hermione is more experienced than both of us put together." Harry said motioning to Ron and himself. Ron supported Harry's claims by nodding eagerly.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Which is why we need her at the Ministry. I need her to enhance the Ministry's current training course for the Aurors. Once the course is more appropriate she'll start pairing Aurors into teams of two, judging by basic compatibility and skill. The selected pairs will then run through the course, competing against their partner to gain more skill."

"You want me to create a fully-equipped standard Auror training course?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I was hoping you would. We need someone like you on the team. Oh, and you get paid."

"Paid?" Ron's head jolted into the air as his ears picked up on the word. "Is Hermione the only one of us who gets paid?"

"No, Mr. Weasley. You'll get your share of gold." Kingsley said through his bright smile.

"Come on, Hermione. Kingsley needs you. Without you how will they train new Aurors?"

"Okay." She said as she fumbled with her hands.

"Great. When do we start?" Ron asked eagerly.

"You're training week starts next Monday. I'm sure Miss Granger's improvements on the course will be completed by then. You will then be given a couple of Death Eater files. Once you find the allocated Death Eaters, they'll be penalised and you'll be given a new Death Eater's file."

"Training Week, cool." Ron's smile was broad.

"You think training week sounds cool now, just wait until you get into the training course: it's cruel and vile. Training week is tough. It breaks you in order to make you better." Kingsley responded.

Harry and Ron gulped simultaneously.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Obviously, Kingsley Shacklebolt was not harmed in the making of this chapter. Although, I did hear him mention something about reviewing…

 **A/N:** Thank you to all the reviews. Keep them coming! Thanks to all my followers. Keep following. Training week is just around the corner…


	4. Work Today Train Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Wait, let me rephrase that. I own a lot of things. Unfortunately, Harry Potter is not one of them.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 4: Work Today Train Tomorrow.

Ron and Harry arrived at the Ministry Training Arena bright and early the following Monday.

They got lost a couple of times before finally finding the correct door that lead them into the office of the arena.

"Uh, we're here for training week." Harry spoke to the middle-aged witch hidden behind the counter.

"Names." She responded dully as she continued writing with her quill, not bothering to look up at their faces.

"Uh, Harry Potter."

The witch's head catapulted into the air, eyes wide in surprise. She froze in shock as she stammered her apologies. "Har… Mr. Potter… I'm… I'm terribly… oh, goodness… I'm sorry… forgive me… I…I…"

"Settle down. He's only a wizard." Ron spoke, quite annoyed at the reaction of this witch. Is there ever going to be a time where Harry's fame would die down?

"The Chosen -" The witch began.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. The Chosen One. Where do we go?" Ron was losing his patience.

"Ah, well you two have to fill out these forms before you're allowed to enter the Training Arena." She answered semi-professionally as she handed them each a form.

"We don't need to fill these out." Ron gave a short chuckle and tried to hand his form back to the witch.

"I'm sorry, but the minister agreed that everyone taking part in this training needs to fill out this form." She said as she pushed the form in Ron's hand back towards him.

"But he defeated Voldemort! He shouldn't have to fill this form out! He's The Chosen One!" He hollered, waving the form about, using it to point at Harry. Harry just stood there watching Ron's reaction.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. The new program was finalised yesterday. Even the most famous wizards, such as yourselves, have to fill out this form."

Ron angrily stepped away from the counter, form in hand.

"There's got to be over 4 pages. Front and back." Harry whispered to Ron as they sat down on a couch opposite the counter, flicking through the form. Sighing as they came across a section dedicated to short answers.

"'How much do you weigh? What skills do you have prior to this day? Can you produce a fully formed Patronus charm? How long have you studied Defensive Spells?' This is bollocks!" Ron stood up abruptly and lunged towards the counter, the witch backing away out of fright.

Ron breathed in deeply and calmed himself down before he spoke. "Excuse me, Miss?" Fury was struggling to remain hidden in his voice.

"Y…yes?"

"Who authorised this form?"

"The Minister, Sir."

"Did the Minister write this himself?"

"No, Sir, he only authorised it. One of his Corporal Managers designed the form. He agreed to it only a couple of days ago. Like I said, it was finalised yesterday."

"I want to speak to this 'Manager'." Ron spoke with sternness in his voice.

"I can go and get h-"

"- Yes!" He interrupted her. The witch ran towards the Floo Network, mumbled something that Ron didn't quite catch and disappeared from sight.

A minute passed, then five, soon fifteen minutes had passed and both Harry and Ron had completed their forms.

"You know if you hadn't told the woman to find the Manager we could be training right now."

"I know. It's just… look at this!" Ron exclaimed as he flicked through the forms once again. "We're training to be Aurors. We're supposed to be out on the field. You defeated Voldemort. This Manager is a real piece of work. He must have never even heard of us!"

"I heard that you're disturbing my staff, Mr. Weasley." Came a voice from the Floo Network behind Harry and Ron.

Ron spun on feet and turned to see a familiar face, with a very familiar scowl upon it.

"Hermione?! What are you doing here?!" Ron half questioned half screamed in shock.

"I'm here doing my job. You, on the other hand, are not." She spoke far too calmly for Ron's liking. She had her arms crossed at her chest.

"Well, I would be doing my job, if I didn't have to fill out this bloody form." He stated waving the form in her face.

"Ronald, I made this form to gather information about possible Auror candidates."

"But you know us! Why do we have to fill out these forms?!"

"Every Auror needs to fill out this form. This form will be put into a personal file. A group of highly trained Aurors will then check over your personal file and training score, and from that allocate you to a specific starting level."

"Starting Level?" Harry asked.

"Aurors with higher starting level will be paired with an Auror that has a lower starting level. Those who level on average will be paired with each other. This balances out the entire department of Auror development. Everything from this point on will be recorded for your file. Ronald, if I had to give you a starting mark based purely on this morning, it would be a 2." She said as she turned to face Ron.

"2 is good, right?" He asked concerned.

"2 is the second lowest." She answered him.

"Oh. Well, I'm not doing too badly then. I mean out of 10 I only need another 8."

Hermione laughed softly. "That's only if you want to score a 10."

"Hermione, what is the highest starting mark?" Harry asked now seeming less confident in himself.

"The highest mark is 100, that is level 10, but no one ever gets that high. 1 – 10 is level one, 11 – 20 is level two, 21 – 30 is level three and so on." She began to explain.

"You gave me a 2!"

"Yes! So pull yourself together, grow up, fill out your forms, get out there, and prove to me that you're better than a 2."

Ron looked down at his hands. He had his form clutched tightly in his grip. He handed the form to Hermione. "I completed it before you came here." He said guiltily.

"Oh, right. Thank you. Harry, do you have yours?"

"Yeah, I do. Here." He handed her his form.

"Thankyou. Now go. The more stations you get around to the more likely you'll get a better starting mark." She looked at the forms in her hands as the middle-aged witch made her way from behind Hermione back to her desk.

"Thank you, Vanessa. If they cause anymore troubles don't hesitate to let me know." Hermione said to Vanessa who nodded in response. Hermione went back to the Floo Network as the boys made their way into the arena.

* * *

The boys made their way through to the back of the office and opened the back door. There in front of their eyes was an enormous arena. The arena was shaped like an Olympic field. The stations were in the middle of the pitch while the running tracks surrounded the outside.

Harry looked down at his feet and realised he wasn't on the grass of the field. As soon as he stepped through the door and onto the green pitch a holographic picture of Harry's face appeared in the sky.

"Whoa, cool!" Ron exclaimed as he marvelled at his friends holographic picture plastered in the sky staring intently back at the two on the ground.

"You look professional, Harry." Ron stated in awe as he pointed to the stern looking holographic Harry.

Ron stepped forward onto the pitch. A holographic Ron appeared next to the holographic Harry.

"You look better as a holographic." Harry said with a chuckle. Ron just looked at his friend with a grin.

The holographic picture both had a large number 0 next to their face, underneath their picture the words 'track' displayed in capitals.

"What's with the zero?" Ron said as he turned to Harry for an explanation.

"I don't know. It could be some sort of scoring system. It might go towards our starting mark."

"'Track'. What do you suppose that means?" Ron asked again.

"'Track' refers to running. Maybe that's what they want us to do first."

Ron nodded at Harry and together they made their way over to the tracks starting point.

"So, what exactly do we do with this 'track'?" Ron asked. Harry was confused but then remembered that running for sport never really applied for wizards.

"We run it."

"Run? Is this considered a muggle sport?"

"Well, I guess. I mean, they do it in the Olympics."

"Limp… Icks? That doesn't sound like running to me."

"Never mind. The aim is to run faster than your opponent. In this case, it looks like your opponent is me."

"I have to run faster than you?" Ron laughed.

"Yeah." Harry smirked back at Ron, knowing full well that he had the upper hand in this challenge.

"Yeah, alright, I'll give it a go."

They got into their individual lane and prepared for the race. The buzzer rang and Harry shot off in a rate of knots. Ron, who was a little dazed, was late to react and started sprinting after Harry. By the time he caught up to Harry they were at the finish line and Harry had won.

"I hadn't warmed up. You won by chance." Ron huffed in annoyance at his losing.

Harry still couldn't speak properly. He barely managed to raise his hand toward his holographic self. Ron followed his pointed finger only to see that the number besides Harry's holographic face had been replaced with the number 1. Ron's screen still displaying the number 0.

"I meant to do that." Ron lied, "You see, now that I have tired you out, I will be able to win the next station. It's all part of my strategy. I was only warming up." He spoke unconvincingly.

"Sure." Harry barely breathed out. "What's the next station?"

"The screen says 'Weights'" Ron replied with a devilish smile spread across his face.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Ron's ego was not harmed during the making of this chapter. One of the challenges during this training course is 'review'. So why wait? Do it now.


	5. Train Today Sore Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me! …He belongs to Ginny.

 **A/N:** Harry may be a little out of character in this chapter, but it adds to the story.

So there are a couple of sentences in this chapter that relate to other movies. I don't want to ruin anything for you, so I'll just say that I own none of the movies that may or may not be referenced. See if you can spot them.

I send thanks to my Beta, Sylaises Fire. Keep it up! No, honestly, keep it up because I don't want to post a badly written fanfic.

I would like to post more regularly but then that doesn't leave my Beta-Buddy with much time to herself. She needs her space. Don't worry, I let her out of her cage every once in a while. Then it's back to the cage to continue Beta-ing.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow.**

Chapter 5: Train Today Sore Tomorrow

"I had no idea we had to actually throw the weights!" Harry exclaimed rubbing his biceps.

"Will you look at that?" Ron grinned looking into the sky where the score beside his name had changed to a 1 since his winning at the weight station. "Face it Harry, I'm better than you."

"Ha, not for long. Take a look at what's next on the board." Harry motioned to the words under their faces with a simple nod from his head.

"'Beams?' What the hell is 'Beams'?" Ron screwed his face up at Harry.

"It's another muggle… thing."

"Another muggle thing?!" Ron bellowed out. "I bet Hermione designed this arena. All things muggle. So, 'beams', eh? Is it a sport?"

"Not quite. It requires a lot of balance."

Harry and Ron reached the station and proceeded to admire the beams. The course consisted of a narrow metal beam that inclined and plateaued at different intervals. At points the beam turned sharply and there was even a small gap to jump across before it steeply sloped back to the ground.

"It looks hectic. What are the mattresses for?" Ron commented on the obstacle.

"In case you fall."

"Fall? I won't fall."

"Do you want to go first?" Harry asked politely.

"Harry, I don't even know what the bloody hell this contraption is."

"I'll show you." Harry stated somewhat unconfidently.

Harry took his place at the beginning of the beams and looked up into the sky at his picture. Underneath his score of '1' appeared what looked to be a stop watch. Next to the stop watch a countdown was beginning. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Go!

Harry began his ascension on the first beam. _This isn't so bad_ , he thought. He had his arms raised out beside him in order for him to keep his balance. He carefully but swiftly made his way along the 10 metre beam, he kept his eyes firmly ahead avoiding looking at the ground. He made the sharp turn and continued stepping along the beam. The beam rose another metre in the air before reaching the second turn. He turned as quickly as the corner did and stopped right before the gap.

He took this moment to look up at the score board. 1 minute, 12 seconds and counting. He looked at the gap and made his jump. He landed on the other side arms flailing to help him regain his balance. He made his final turn and slid down the steep slope. He crossed the line and looked up at the clock. 1 minute, 36 seconds.

"Ok, you've seen me do it. Now it's your turn." Harry spoke after his heart beat calmed down.

Ron prepared himself, much like Harry had done. Ron looked up at the clock. He watched the countdown… 3, 2, 1… Go!

Ron was quick but not as agile as Harry. He made his ascension and ran along the 10 meter beam. He turned his first corner a little too fast and almost fell off the course. He managed to regain his balance and continue up his second ascension. He turned again and, like Harry, stopped. Ron didn't look at the board. He knew he was already behind Harry in time. Ron made his jump, but upon landing his right foot slipped.

Ron's body landed hard on the beam. Not only did he completely fail the course, the metal beam was now rammed between his legs. His loud wail was heard before his body slipped completely off the beam and plummeted to the soft ground waiting below.

As soon as Ron hit the mattress his hands came quickly to his private parts to hold whatever was left.

"Ron! Ron! Are you ok?! Ron!" Harry yelled as he ran to his friend and knelt down at his side. "Ron, speak to me."

"Shut up, Harry!" Ron yelled back at him. He then rolled over onto his side and lay in the foetal position, still clasping his balls. "Just let me do this for a while." He said weakly.

Harry got up and went over to sit on one of the low beams nearby, a few meters from where Ron was still laying. It had been 10 minutes since the fall and finally Ron was starting to make progress.

.

Ron let go of his balls and now lay with his hands up behind his head, staring at the scores in the sky. Harry came over to Ron and stared down at him.

"Are you ok?" Harry couldn't help but let a smirk appear.

"Help me up, will you?" Ron said with a tone of irritation.

Harry grabbed hold of Ron's hands and slowly helped him back onto his feet. Ron limped onwards until he reached the beam where Harry was previously sitting. He winced as he lowered himself carefully onto it.

"We can stop training today if you want. Take a break and come back to it tomorrow." Harry offered when he place himself beside his crippled friend.

"No. I really want to be the best that I can. If I stop now, my starting mark is bound to be low. I don't want that to happen." Ron stared back at Harry. "As soon as I can walk properly again I think we should move on."

"Alright." Harry agreed with Ron.

"Hermione's going to murder me." Ron said as he let his head droop into his hands.

"I'm sure she'll understand. I mean, I'm sure you won't be the only one to fall off this beam." Harry tried to comfort his friend.

"No. It's not that. You wouldn't understand. Wouldn't believe me."

"Believe what? What won't I understand?"

Ron sighed loudly. "I don't know if you know but Hermione and I are kind of -"

"- dating."

"Yeah. We're not very subtle are we?"

"Ron, do you even know what subtle means? I constantly see you two snogging around The Burrow." Harry said as he remembered walking in on the two snogging just last week.

"That's because you keep on walking in on us!"

"I'm glad I do! Who knows what would come of it if I just leave you two alone?!"

Ron just stared at Harry.

"OK. Why does this mean she'll kill you?" Harry spoke trying to move the conversation along.

"Well, when we get married -"

"- YOU'RE WHAT?!" Harry yelled and stood up abruptly.

"Whoa! I said 'when'. That doesn't mean that we're engaged or anything."

"But you're thinking about it? Does Hermione know you're completely mental?"

"It was Hermione's idea, Harry." Ron answered calmly.

"She wants to marry you?" Harry asked and sat down again, surprised by the words coming out of Ron's mouth.

"You say that as if I'm not good for her." Ron's irritation was starting to rise again.

"No. No, I never meant for it to come out like that." Harry tried to adjust his words. "I just… you're serious about all of this?"

"Yes, but the marriage won't last long. She wants kids."

"She wants- Oh." Ron just nodded at Harry's revelation.

"I don't want to talk about it now. What's next on the board?" Ron redirected the conversation.

"Boxing."

* * *

Once they were in the ring the boys bounced on their toes in their allocated corners. Harry wore the blue gloves because Ron wanted to wear the red.

"I'm going to win this point." Ron spoke as he smashed his red gloves together.

"You're too big to win." Harry responded, trying to get a rise out of Ron. It worked.

"I'll snap you!"

"I'll snap you like a twig!" Harry added.

"You're a twig!"

"I hope you can never have kids!" Harry realised his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

"AAAHHHHHH!" Ron charged directly towards Harry, fists ready to strike.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." Harry continued to say loudly over the enraged Ron. He ran from the red-haired, red-faced, red-fisted beast. Ron resorted to chasing Harry around the ring.

Ron switched his direction and the last thing that Harry saw was a red fist of fury. Something cracked underneath the padded hand of Ron, and Harry fell to the ground with a limp thud.

* * *

(…Some time later…)

"Harry? Harry? Harry?! Harry, wake up!" Harry stirred to hear a voice of familiarity.

"Good morning star shine, the earth says 'Hello'." Harry responded obviously still very out of it.

"Harry? Open your eyes." The same voice said. He couldn't quite pick who the voice belonged to.

"Mummy?" He asked in a croaky voice as he opened his eyes ever so slightly, seeing a very blurred outline of Hermione. "Oh, Hi Mynee." Harry grinned in a daze before letting out a childish giggle.

Hermione moved out of Harry's line of sight and began talking to someone else. Harry tried to follow her with his gaze but ended up just closing his eyes again.

"How hard did you hit him exactly?" Harry heard her speak.

"I don't remember. I sort of lost it." Ron's voice filled Harry's ears and he jolted upright certain that he had just heard Ron's voice. Harry's vision spun and his head pulsated with an obvious headache.

"Ron, I'm sorry! I was only trying to stir you." Harry started apologising rapidly.

"Well, it worked!" Ron said angrily standing up from the bench he was sitting on.

"Ron, sit down. Harry, relax. You've just been knocked out." Hermione spoke as she stepped between the boys.

"Hermione, he broke my nose!" Harry exclaimed as his hands came to his swollen nose.

"I fixed it up for you." She replied. "What I want to know is why you decided to break his nose in the first place." She said as she neared her boyfriend.

"I didn't mean to! He said I would never have kids!"

"So you punched him in the face?!" She was getting angry.

"Hermione, I slipped on the beams!"

"That doesn't mean that you have the right to… Oh." She spoke the last word softly, her face growing red.

"Just the three I needed to see." Kingsley Shacklebolt said as he entered the room of which the trio were in. "We have our sights on a pair of Death Eaters. Their names are Lester Roach and Kurt Harvey."

"Minister, I thought I assigned Davenport and Franks to Roach and Harvey." Hermione spoke in a state of confusion.

"Yes, I know. Good choice, too, because anyone less experienced than Davenport and Franks could have been killed."

"What?!" Hermione responded as she averted her full attention to the Minister.

"It's alright, Miss Granger, they're alive. Turns out that Roach and Harvey are rallying the other Death Eaters. At the moment they are our biggest threat. They were last seen in Knockturn Alley, that's where Davenport and Franks were ambushed. From the sources already gathered by Davenport and Franks they seem to be working under somebody's orders. That's where you come in." Kingsley said and pointed to Harry and Ron.

"What do you want us to do?" Ron asked the Minister.

"I want you and Potter, as partners, to track Roach and Harvey. Catch them if you can. I want to know who they are working for and the reason behind it."

"You want us on the field?" Harry asked.

"You'll have all the information about Roach and Harvey by Thursday. You're mission starts then." The Minister explained.

"What about training?" Harry asked with anticipation.

"You defeated Voldemort. I'm sure you'll be able to handle this."

"Finally, someone who appreciates what we do." Ron said he motioned towards the Minister.

"What about Davenport and Franks?!" Hermione was almost yelling.

"They're in recovery. See you boys on Thursday."

* * *

 **A/N:** I love it because Davenport and Franks are two of the best Aurors who have had years of experience and Shacklebolt asks Harry and Ron (The two with the least experience) to deal with it. Davenport and Franks are my characters.

Thank you to all who are reading this story. I hope you're enjoying it so far. It will start to get better, I promise. There are some really strange things that happen but that's not until later. Keep with it.

Also, big thanks to heronlove, The-Oncoming-Winter and Sylaises Fire for reviewing each chapter. You guys make my day.

 **Disclaimer:** Ron's balls were severely harmed in the making of this chapter. However, that did not change his mind on reviewing this chapter.


	6. Sore Today Rest Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I own not Harry Potter nor any of his friends.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 6: Sore Today Rest Tomorrow

After meeting up with Kingsley and Hermione on the Thursday morning, Ron and Harry headed back to The Burrow to start on the two profiles they had been given.

"Alright, you take Roach and I'll take Harvey." Harry said, handing the profile of Lester Roach over the table to Ron.

"I want Harvey." Ron said as Harry just stared pathetically at him. "What? Harvey sounds less intimidating than Roach."

"Fine. Here." Harry handed him the other file with 'Kurt Harvey' written on it.

They finished reading their files and placed them on the desk in front of them.

"Now what?" Ron asked Harry as if he knew.

"Well, Kingsley said once we've read over the profiles we should collaborate and see if anything from your file matches up with anything from my file."

"Ok, I can do that." Ron said as he picked up the file again and leant back on the couch, wincing as he did so.

"What's up with you?" Harry asked Ron with concern in his voice.

"It's bruised."

"What?"

"Me. I'm… It's purple."

"What are you talking about?" Harry seriously had no clue what Ron was talking about. From what he could see, Ron didn't look purple at all.

"You know. My… Dragon." He hinted as he pointed to his groin.

"Are you really purple?" Harry laughed at his friend's terminology for male anatomy.

"It's been three days since it happened." Ron stated.

"Does your mum know?"

"Do you really think I'd tell her?! I would never tell her!" Ron began to raise his voice.

"So she found out then?" Harry smiled.

"Of course she did! I was waddling around the house. Thanks to her, now Fred and George know too."

Harry laughed as he flipped through the pages of his file and opened it up on a random page. Harry's smile was wiped off his face as his eyes hovered over a sentence on the page.

"What is it?" Ron sounded worried. He carefully scooted to the edge of the couch, trying not to irritate the… dragon, and peered over the top of the file. "What have you found?"

"I'm not sure. Ron, in your file does it say anything about _'Gravel's'_?"

"Isn't that the book store in Knockturn Alley?" Ron asked as he skimmed through his file again.

"Yeah, yeah. The owner, Pert Gravel, was taken to Azkaban back in 1994, when we were in 4th year. The store is still opened for business, yet the owner has been in prison for the last four years."

"A bit suspicious if you ask me."

"I bet that's why Davenport and Franks were heading there."

Ron searched his file for something relative to the matter. "Yeah, look, right here. ' _Ministry assigned Aurors had been standing nearby_ Gravel's _when they were ambushed by waiting Death Eaters._ ' Yeah, but Davenport and Franks have already investigated _Gravel's_." Ron spoke in a defeated tone.

"No. They hadn't. Look at the wording; 'standing nearby when ambushed.' They never made it." Harry pointed to his page.

"Harry, you're a genius. We should see if any of the Death Eaters left anything behind."

Harry and Ron left The Burrow not long after that and proceeded to the place where the last two Aurors were injured. Only this time they came prepared for an ambush.

* * *

(Later that evening…)

Ron and Harry reached the turn off that lead them down into Knockturn Alley.

"Wait." Harry said as he grabbed Ron's coat and drew him aside.

"What?"

"Get your wand out ready. We don't know what they have planned."

Ron nodded and grabbed his wand from his waist holster and rounded the corner into the Alley, Harry right behind him.

There was a lot of creepy looking witches and wizards roaming the street. Some offered strange things to the duo. Others were just muttering to themselves, too mad to pay them any attention.

"That's illegal." Harry whispered back into Ron's ear as he subtly motioned toward a rather large, ugly, unkempt looking witch wrapped badly in bed sheets on the step of a shop hollering 'House elves in need of masters! We're willing to serve!'

"Not to mention hideous and mentally scarring." Ron responded. "I have a feeling she's not promoting house elves."

"We need to focus. We're here on a mission." Harry stated firmly, trying hard to keep his eyes averted from the ugly sight.

They reached _Gravel's_ without any signs of an ambush. Ron stepped up to the entry door and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Ron, no. It might be rigged." Harry warned his partner.

Ron just turned the knob anyway and flung the door open wide. He smiled back at Harry before entering the dark, foul smelling book shop. Harry sighed, wand raised high he entered behind Ron.

Inside the shop was far worse than it was outside. The paint on the walls were peeling, the ground was wet and the books didn't even look like books; pages were placed inside the covers instead of being bound, some didn't have covers and when they did they were torn, ripped and shredded.

"Harry, check this out." Ron spoke very quietly and handed Harry a broken book.

"'Death Eaters: A wizard's guide to being a better traitor.'"

"'ello, Gen'lemen. What can I do for yer fine young chaps?" An older wizard welcomed them as he came out from the backroom beyond the counter. Even sporting enormous round, extremely thick glasses, he still managed to bump into the counter upon arrival. His head was hung low and his shoulders hunched high. He was looking at the scrappy unbound book in his hands.

Ron and Harry were plastered to the spot in terror, waiting for this man to make his next move. Harry managed to hide his glasses in his jacket and smooth his hair down over his scar before the wizard looked up at them again.

"Well, what will it be?" He asked the boys angrily as he took off his own glasses and wiped them on his oily shirt before placing them on his head once more.

"This book!" Harry said a little too loudly.

"What 'bout it?"

"How much is it?" Harry said, his voice now at a reasonable level.

Sensing that things weren't going so well, Ron made his way to a bookcase that was placed behind the counter. Pretending that he was examining the books on the case, he leant over so he could peer into the little room where the older wizard had come from.

There in the small back room of _Gravel's_ , standing over a table, with their backs faced towards Ron, their faces hidden, was what Ron gathered to be Lester Roach and Kurt Harvey. Ron almost screamed but contained his composure so that he could signal to Harry, without drawing the attention of the older wizard.

Harry was struggling to make things up about this book and was semi-relieved when he saw the thumbs up from Ronald across the store.

The store owner looked at Harry closely then turned his stare towards Ron. "15 Galleons." The old wizard smeared more grease onto his glasses as he wiped them with his hands. He continued to stare at Ron. "I've never seen you in here before." The older wizard stated, now talking to Ron.

"That's because I haven't been in here before. I've always wanted this book and one of the blokes at the bar said he saw it in here." Ron spoke with surprising confidence.

"Right? What use is it to ya?"

"You know that bloody wizard, Harry Potter?" Ron spat as he tried not to smile.

"Of course I know! He's a prick, he is!" The older wizard exclaimed loudly as he threw his arms up in the air.

"I saw him the other day. He was looking far too happy. He's the reason why I want to join the Death Eater Club."

They must have been talking too loudly because Roach and Harvey, who had been in the back room, slowly made their way into the front of the shop. Roach made his way over to Ron while Harvey closed in on Harry.

"It is NOT a 'Club'!" Roach spoke, seething angrily. His face was mere centimetres from Ron's mouth. Spit landed on Ron's face. Ron waited until Roach turned around before lifting his wrist to wipe it off.

"And you!" Harry jumped slightly at Harvey's directness, but covered it up well by shuffling on his feet. "Do you have any particular feelings for this Potter boy?"

"Well, If you count 'wanting to kill him' a feeling, then, yes, I do have feelings for Harry Potter." Harry spoke slowly hoping that he hadn't confused Harvey.

Harvey just threw his head back in an over dramatic way and laughed unnaturally. "On the house, Groggs!" Harvey yelled over to the older wizard who was now showing his toothless smile. Groggs took the book from Harry's hands and proceeded over towards the register.

"What's your names, boys?" Harvey questioned, waiting for one of them to reply.

"My name is Ron." Ron began to speak, nodding his head subtly at Harry.

"Ron?" Roach said as if the name confused him. "Isn't that the name of one of Potter's supporters?" He continued asking Harvey.

"I'm sure there is more than just the one 'Ron', Roach. What is the Weasley boy doing these days?" Harvey casually asked the room.

"He's an Auror." Ron answered confidently.

"Oh," Harvey said as he continued looking around the room, pushing aside any thoughts on the matter. Then it dawned on him. This was _the_ Ron. The one they were just taking about. " _Oh._ "

Harvey made for his wand but Harry was quicker. Harry expelled Harvey's wand from his hand and caught it with expertise. Harvey dove behind the bench where Groggs was keeping cover.

The store was filled with flying curses and hexes as Harry and Ron fought the two most wanted wizard criminals. Ron closed in on Roach and began sending spell after spell to try and disorientate his target.

Harry had made his way behind the counter and aimed the two wands in his hands at Harvey and Groggs.

Ron backed Roach up so he was standing up against the wall. "Expelliarmus!" Ron said loudly, expecting to see Roach's wand fly out of his hand.

Instead, the spell from Ron's wand connected with Roach's wand, and with a blinding bright blue light, Roach's wand completely snapped into several small pieces.

"AAARRGGHH!" Roach's scream split the ears of everyone present. In a state of bewilderment, all eyes drew to him as he clutched at what was left of his hand.

His fingers were completely demolished and his hand had a deep chunk taken out of it; blood was pooling around him at an alarming rate. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAND?!" He yelled loudly startling everyone out of their state of shock.

"Shut him up, Ron! We don't want to draw attention." Harry pressured Ron.

"Yeah, alright." Ron was white with shock. "How?"

"Stupefy him." Harry answered as he, too, was gearing himself up to stupefy Harvey.

Ron went first, "Stupefy!" With another bright blue beam of light, sounds of shredding skin and popping joints filled the room. Once the light died down all that could be seen of Roach was the bloody remains that had covered the entire inside of the store. A shoe with his foot still inside was all that remained.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled catching Harvey and Groggs of guard. The spell was sent towards Harvey. However Harvey used Groggs as a shield. The spell hit Groggs and he fell to the floor stupefied. Harvey grabbed Groggs' wand from his pant pocket, aimed it at Harry and ordered his wand back to his clutches with a simple spell. Before Harry could understand what had just happened Kurt Harvey had disapparated from the scene.

Harry looked at Ron who was still staring at the foot in the shoe. "What was that?!" Harry exclaimed in astonishment and fearfulness.

Ron looked at Harry but only one word crossed his mind. "Magic."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Roach was extremely harmed during the making of this chapter. Grogg's was not harmed during the making of this chapter and even though he's as blind as a bat he still manages to find a way to review.


	7. Rest Today Accused Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I would make him dress up like a carrot and do the chicken dance.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 7: Rest Today Accused Tomorrow

It was the afternoon of the Auror mission. Ron and Harry had arrived home at The Burrow. They remained silent for the remainder of the afternoon. Neither of them were game enough to bring up Ron's incident at _Gravel's_. As soon as Hermione arrived home they spilled the beans about what went down back in Knockturn Alley.

"You're not joking, are you?" She finally replied after listening to the boys stutter out their unbelievable recount. Her voice was low but shaky.

"You think we'd make something like this up?!" Ron almost stood in disbelief.

"Calm down, Ron." Harry spoke.

"'Calm down?!' You're telling me to be calm?! My own bloody girlfriend doesn't even believe us!" Ron was standing by this point, arms waving madly.

"I KNEW IT!" Came a voice from the hallway. The sound of running feet grew closer until a blur of red entered the room and bombarded Hermione, tackling her off the footrest she was sitting on.

"Ginny?" Harry questioned as he stared at the two girls sprawled out on the floor.

"I knew it! I so knew! I knew you were dating. I knew Ron wouldn't be able to keep his big mouth shut." Ginny was excitedly hugging Hermione whilst they were still on the floor.

"I believe you! I believe you!" Hermione struggled to breathe under the weight of Ginny.

"Whoa, let her up!" Ron exclaimed as he reached out his hand to Hermione. "You believe us? You're not just saying that?" He asked as he looked directly into her eyes.

"I believe you." She answered still a little shaky.

"I believe you, too." Ginny stated proudly.

"Have you been listening to us this whole time?" Harry questioned Ginny as she sat up and crossed her legs.

"Yes. Was I not supposed to? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about Ron's powers."

"I don't have powers." Ron tried to sound convincing but struggled.

"How else would you describe your abnormal… actions?" Ginny asked her brother who was now standing over her in an intimidating way.

"It's magic." He simply replied.

" _We're_ magic." Ginny said gesturing to everyone but Ron. "You did something that no other wizard has ever done before. You're powerful." She stood up straight trying to look intimidating herself by placing her hands on her hips and holding her head up high. It didn't work very well seeing as she only came up to Ron's chin.

Ron continued to debate his magical abilities when he was interrupted by an unstable chuckle from Hermione. "What?!" Ron was becoming angry. "You want to have a go at me, too?"

"No. I know how you feel." She responded softly.

"How could you possibly know?!" He yelled at her.

"I cut myself today." Hermione began.

"Oh, Hermione, I know that living under the same roof as my brother has many, _many_ disadvantages but cutting yourself is not going to solve any problems you have with him." Ginny said seriously as she came to Hermione's side.

"No! I didn't do it purposefully! I was sorting through data files on all Aurors within the country. Placing them into allocated piles; active, non-active, unstable and so on. One of the files exploded upon touch. It was a very small explosion but my arm got in the way. I didn't get the chance to see whose personal file it was. I don't even know who's responsible for it."

"Are you ok?" Harry asked with apprehension.

"Yes. Perfectly fine. I noticed my fore arm was bleeding heavily, from where I had tried to shield my face from the explosion. I went to take out my wand to heal myself but before I could react my arm was mending itself without my assistance."

"How?" Ginny asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

"I don't have the slightest clue. All I know is that there was some strange blue glow radiating from my torso. The next thing I knew, the cut had disappeared."

The others stared at her for a couple of minutes before Ron broke the silence "Well, that's not normal."

"You're one to talk." Ginny replied sarcastically to her brother. Ron just grunted at her.

A soft tapping noise caught Harry's attention. "Hey, look! It's Pig." Harry pointed to the small owl outside flying awkwardly with a letter in his beak.

"The letter is bigger than he is." Ginny giggled softly and opened the window for the tiny bird.

Pig flew in and landed on the arm rest of the couch. Once Ron took the letter from his pet, Pig collapsed in a tired heap. Ron opened the letter. "It's from Minister Shacklebolt."

Hermione stared at the letter in Ron's hands. "What's it say?"

Ron just handed her the letter knowing that she was far better at reading than he was. "Urgent message from the Ministry," she started.

"Urgent?" Ron asked but was quickly shushed by his sister.

Hermione continued "An emergency panel has been called in order for a Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger. Concerns and anxieties have risen dramatically within the wizarding society due to unsubstantiated information published on the happenings and whereabouts of Potter, Weasley and Granger from their disappearance on the 1st of August, 1997 to their return in early May, 1998."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Ron questioned.

They all stared at Hermione. "It means that the articles in The Daily Prophet have been giving false information about what we were doing during the time we were hunting for horcruxes."

"What is The Daily Prophet saying about you?" Ginny asked with concern.

"It says in this letter that 75% of wizarding citizens believe the whole horcrux hunt was a hoax, 15% are making up their own story about what happened, leaving only 10% that actually believe what we have said."

"How is this panel going to help our situation? What good can come of this?" Ron asked.

"Journalists and publishers who have criticised and manipulated our story will be there. They'll be asking the questions and we'll provide the correct answers. Everything will be taped and kept for the record." Hermione answered, looking up from the letter.

"When does Kingsley want us to do this panel?" Harry chimed in.

"Thursday, next week. That gives us one week to prepare."

* * *

(The next Thursday during the panel.)

Hermione, Harry and Ron were seated on a platform overlooking the interviewers. Ron saw Lee Jordan off in the distance, waving happily at the trio. The trio gave him a friendly wave back before Kingsley made his way to the stage.

"Wizards, witches" Kingsley began to announce to the full room of interviewers "I'm here to welcome you all to this conference panel. This panel will be recorded, any extreme profound language used or abusive actions will find you being arrested temporarily. With that I open this interview with a question from the man in a purple dress."

A small man stood abruptly to his feet "It is not a dress! It is a robe!"

"And a very stylish one at that. Please, your question." Kingsley suggested.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, is it true that you had to die a second time to defeat the Dark Lord?"

"Yes, it's true. Only this time around I _had_ to do it. It needed to be done. If I hadn't done what I did, Voldemort would probably still be alive."

Gasps ran throughout the auditorium as another man stood to his feet. "Why did you choose this time to go hunting for the horcruxes? Why hadn't you started hunting earlier?"

"To be honest with you all, I had no idea what a horcrux was until I was 16. Dumbledore explained to me the necessary details I needed for me to complete the mission. As soon as I was informed about the horcruxes I made plans to destroy them."

The man sat and an elderly witch stood up. Although small in stature, her voice was strong. "I heard that you had given up during this 'hunt' and completely abandoned the cause."

Ron piped up for the first time "Ah… that was me." Murmurs were heard from the congregation. "I was the one to give in, not Harry."

"What on earth possessed you to abandon your close friend?!" The old witch snapped at Ron.

"It wasn't my fault! I didn't really -"

"- Wasn't your fault?!"

"It was the locket!" Ron almost shouted. "The locket was a horcrux. Now I don't know if any of you have experienced having the Dark Lord's evil soul rub against your own heart, but I tell you, it's not easy. Having something so evil, so close to you all the time, you tend to get slightly possessed by it."

"Are you saying you were possessed?" A young wizard asked from the back of the room.

"More or less, yeah."

The old witch spoke again. "If you left the others, how is it that you returned to them when you had no idea of their location?"

"By this." Ron replied simply as he reached into his jacket and pulled out the deluminator. He flicked it a couple of times, captivating the audience with its strange abilities before explaining. "This not only traps light but it holds a secret power. This is how I got back to them. I wanted to return as soon as I had left. I went to my brother's house. It was dark when I started playing with the deluminator and that's when I heard it."

"Heard what?" Said the old witch.

"My name. Over and over. It came from the light within the deluminator. I knew that light would take me to where I needed to be. I trusted the voice so I disapparated and found myself back with the others."

"Whose voice was it?" The old witch asked, now entranced by his story.

"It was Hermione's voice."

Heads were down once more and quills were racing across the notepads. A young witch jumped into the air and began speaking rapidly. "Is it true that Hermione Granger experienced the Cruciatus Curse?"

Silence fell upon the room and boggled eyes stared directly at Hermione. "Well, yes, it's true." Loud gasps echoed around to room.

"Really?" The young witch spoke again. "How? Who administered it to you?"

"We got caught by snatchers. They took us to the Malfoy's Manor. There, Bellatrix LeStrange… interrogated me."

"That's bollocks, Hermione! She didn't 'interrogate' you! She almost destroyed you! You were being tortured! I heard your screams from the dungeon!" Ron restrained himself from jumping out of his chair.

This time a familiar face appeared in the crowd. She stood up straight and proud, her blonde hair tied up tightly and her lips pursed. Harry, Ron and Hermione were speechless.

"Cheater Skeeter" Ron whispered into Harry's ear.

With revenge on her mind, Rita Skeeter smirked and began to speak in a superior tone "Is it true, Miss Granger, that you are with child?"

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Rita Skeeter is still annoying as ever.

No false evidence was recorded during the duration of the panel... So far.

All facts were recorded with top security… I hope.

Please support the Ministry of Magic by reviewing this chapter.


	8. Accused Today Fight Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I'm only up to chapter 8?! I still have another 22 Chapters of disclaimers saying that I don't own Harry Potter. Every time I have to write this disclaimer I get sad at the reality that I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 8: Accused Today Fight Tomorrow

With revenge on her mind, Rita Skeeter smirked and began to speak in a superior tone "Is it true, Miss Granger that you are with child?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, trying to comprehend what Rita was insinuating. Ron and Harry were attempting to conceal their laughter. Harry tried to cover his smile by pretending to pick something out of his teeth while Ron had his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking from his silent laughter.

"Answer the question, Miss Granger." She sternly stated.

"No! I am not!" Hermione exclaimed loudly. Ron and Harry couldn't hold it in any longer, their laughter bubbled up and they proceeded to laugh aloud.

"Hmm, are you sure?" Rita smirked once more, eyeing Ronald with a scowl.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Hermione called out.

By this time Kingsley had been taken aside by a strange old wizard. Kingsley was so absorbed in his conversation with the ripened wizard that he had no idea of the trouble Rita was stirring behind him.

"Really? Because from reliable sources I have evidence that you were caught fornicating in the forbidden forest with none other than Ronald Weasley." Rita continued to hound.

Ron choked on his own laughter and began to wheeze heavily. Harry keeled forward in laughter, grabbing hold of the table to keep himself from falling off his chair. Once Harry had run out of breath he reached for his glass of water.

"What kind of 'reliable sources' told you that?!" Ron wheezed back at 'Cheater Skeeter', trying to recover from his coughing fit.

"Don't you mind that now, Mr. Weasley. All I want to know is did you or did you not have intercourse with Hermione Granger?" Skeeter pressured.

"No!" He yelled back.

"We are on record here, Mr. Weasley. The truth must be told."

"Ok, well, yes, we have had sex, but it wasn't in the forbidden forest!" Ron shouted back at her. Hermione covered her face with her hands and slunk further down into her chair.

Harry swallowed his water too quickly and started into a fit of uncontrollable coughs. "WHAT?!" Harry managed to shout between deep breaths.

"Not the Forbidden Forest, you say. So where did this magical event take place then?" She continued to hound them, smile dancing upon her face. The audience was too shocked at Rita advancements to intercede with the conversation.

Ron murmured something incoherent.

"Loud enough for the record please, Mr. Weasley." She grinned.

Kingsley returned to his place and intervened with impeccable timing, stopping Rita in her tracks. He adjourned the interview early and waited until the interviewers had left the room before confronting the Panel.

"Mopsus the Seer of Ways has asked for your attendance. He is one of the last seers among us today. Please, heed his words for they will be of extreme importance."

Mopsus, an old wizard with an extremely long silver beard wrapped around his arms, entered the room and stood beside Kingsley. He whispered something into Kingsley's ear then looked up at the trio.

"Are you ready for what your future holds?" Mopsus asked in a loud voice.

"He's got to be mental." Ron spoke softly.

"Mopsus, please share with us your insight." Kingsley said.

"I've had a vision." Mopsus started, extending his old frail arm out in front of him.

Ron looked at Harry subtly before whispering, "Definitely mental."

Mopsus continued, " _All is well, yet not all is gone. The evil you fear is still living on. The Lord may be dead and his spirit destroyed, but the uprising evil you cannot avoid._ " Mopsus paused and looked at the trio before raising his voice and lifting his hands above his head, " _superior skill wrapped in red and blue, the wizarding world is depending on you_." He finished, pointing directly at Ron.

"Me?!" Ron said in shock.

"'You', meaning 'all of you.' Not just 'you'." Mopsus said as he came closer to the trio. "Now I don't know who or what this new evil is but I do know it is up to you three to stop it."

"Great." Ron sarcastically said aloud, Hermione jabbing him hard in the ribs. Harry just rubbed his neck out of frustration.

* * *

Returning to The Burrow Harry had barely stepped through the front door when Ginny began bombarding them with endless questions. "How did it go?! Did you convince them?! Do they believe you now?!"

"What? Huh... oh… I don't know." Harry mumbled. Ginny's hands came to his face and she peered into his eyes. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"There's a new evil. Apparently when we killed Voldemort we didn't think to kill any other evil lords."

"What?!"

"Yeah, and according to Mopsus 'not all is gone and the evil we fear is still living on'."

"And what would this Mopsus guy know?!" She loudly retaliated.

"He's a foreseer, Ginny."

"Oh. So you think Voldemort is still alive? Another Horcrux maybe?" She questioned as she dragged Harry to the sitting room and sat down on the sofa with him, leaving Ron and Hermione outside to talk with each other.

"Voldemort is dead. That much we know. Whoever or whatever this new evil is they have to be related to the incident in Knockturn Alley. Why else would Roach and Harvey be trying to kill us?"

"Uh, because you killed Voldemort." Ginny stated.

"And Voldemort is somehow connected to this new evil. _'The evil you fear is still living on'_. The only evil I've feared is Voldemort." He retorted.

Two popping sounds were heard from the kitchen. Harry got up from the sofa to see who was making the noise.

It was Fred and George.

"We heard what happened." George began.

"Yeah, bad luck." Fred continued.

"How did you guys know?" Harry asked the twins.

"We do have friends outside of the family you know." George said as Fred acted hurt.

Harry looked confused.

"Lee Jordan told us." They chimed in together.

"Oh, right." He answered.

"Where's Ronniekins and his Mrs?" Fred asked.

"Probably shagging somewhere." Harry stated in anger. Ginny laughed and the twins nodded in agreement.

"For the last time, Harry, I'm sorry." Ron spoke in frustration as he entered into the kitchen.

"What did you do this time, Ronnie?" George asked, smirking as usual.

"Ok, you guys. You tell me, do you ask each other permission before you have sex?"

"Bloody Hell, Ron! Is that what you think of when you hear the words 'a twins' special bond'?" Fred exclaimed in disgust.

"No! Not like that! What I meant was, do you tell each other about your sex life?" Ron reiterated.

"No." Fred said easily.

"See, Harry. Even the twins don't tell each other."

"That's because neither of us have a sex life." George explained.

"Speak for yourself." Fred grinned.

"Wait… _you_ have a sex life?" Ginny asked Ron completely amazed. "With Hermione?"

"No, with Mrs. Norris. Of course with Hermione!"

"I'm glad you cleared that up." Fred stated.

"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked looking around the kitchen.

"She's in her room." Ron answered.

"I don't blame her." Harry replied.

"What exactly happened at the panel?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Cheater Skeeter is what happened!" Ron interrupted.

"Skeeter was there?!" Fred was shocked.

"What did she say?" George picked up the conversation.

"Hermione's pregnant." Ron said flippantly.

"She's what?!" Ginny shouted as the twins just stood there smiling.

"Alright, Georgie, pay up." Fred smirked at his twin. "30 galleons, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." George replied while handing over a small bag filled with 30 galleons.

"You took a bet on when Hermione would get pregnant?" Harry questioned the twins.

"Oi! She's NOT pregnant!" Ron shouted at his brothers.

"Give me back my galleons!" George snatched the bag of money from Fred's hands.

"Are you sure?" Fred grinned at Ron.

"Of course I'm bloody sure! Hermione's the brightest witch of her age! She's the kind of witch that would _never_ slip up." Ron continued.

"Yes, but you're the kind of wizard that would." George retorted.

Hermione entered the kitchen after hearing the yelling from up in her room. She was going to set things straight even if it means embarrassing herself in the process. All eyes turned to her as she entered and the room fell silent.

"Listen, for the past year I have been taking certain potions that stop me from… menstruating. I started doing this just before we left to go hunting for the horcruxes. I didn't want my periods to distract me from the more important mission of defeating Voldemort. I'm still taking these potions."

"Is there even the slightest chance of you being pregnant?" Fred questioned hopefully after a moment of awkward silence, eyeing the galleons in George's hand.

"Not a chance. On top of the potions I used the contraception charm when we… you know. I even went as far as to take muggle precautions." She answered.

"Looks like I keep the money." George smiled at himself.

"For now." Fred responded grumpily.

Ron sat down on a nearby chair and let out a shaky breath.

"Come on, Ronnie. It's just some harmless betting." Fred tried to reconcile.

"It's not that. Don't get me wrong, I am pissed with you for gambling on Hermione, but at the moment I'm more worried about this new evil." Ron paused allowing a tense silence to flood the room. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, you're not alone. I'll be there with you. You're my best friend. I won't let you do this by yourself." Harry spoke clearly.

"Way to show us up, Harry." Fred sarcastically said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked Fred.

"You beat us to the punchline. Now we can't offer our services. But no don't worry. We just _love_ being left behind while our little brother tries to get himself killed." George replied.

"What about the joke shop?" Ron asked his brothers.

"We get more laughs out of you and Hermione." Fred responded.

"I think we'll cope." George chimed in.

"I'm in too." Ginny shared.

"Oh no you're not." Ron scoffed at his sister.

"You never let me help you!"

"We don't need your help!" Ron started to yell.

"Yes we do!" All eyes turned Hermione.

"We do?" All the boys spoke simultaneously.

"Yes. This won't be like last time. Last time we had an idea of who we were up against, his power and what needed to be done. This time we weren't given advice, we don't know what to do and we don't have much of an understanding of how powerful this evil is. It is all up to us and Dumbledore isn't here to point us in the right direction. We need all the help we can get."

"Ok, what do you suggest?" Harry was the first to ask.

"While I was in my room, I took the liberty to send out a couple of requests, asking for volunteers to help us, using my patronus."

"Did anyone respond?" Harry continued asking.

"So far, we have two yes's." She responded.

"Who?" Ron asked excitedly.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Ron never had sexual relations with Mrs. Norris during the making of this chapter. In fact, he hasn't had sexual relations with the poor old cat ever in his life. It was a joke, people! Besides, Ronald isn't Mrs. Norris' type. Mrs. Norris has taken the time to ask that you review. Be kind to her and show her just how much you love her by reviewing this chapter.


	9. Fight Today Heal Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** *Tears are running down face as she types…*

I do not Harry Potter.

*Leaves the computer to cry in the corner*

So some of you are still wondering what's with the freaky powers that Ron and Hermione have… All in good time, my followers. All in good time.

Thanks for all the reviews. They've been great! Keep 'em coming.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 9: Fight Today Heal Tomorrow

"I got an instant 'yes' from Neville and Luna said to sign her up." Hermione informed the others.

"Longbottom and Lovegood. How exactly do they benefit our situation?" Ron asked. "I mean they're great for wanting to help but Neville isn't that good when it comes to spells and Luna… Is Luna."

"They both were there with us at the ministry back in fifth year. They helped us a lot then." Hermione indicated.

"Come to think of it, I was there too." Ginny spoke, crossing her arms.

"Alright, alright. You can join." Ron said defeated.

"What are we joining exactly?" George asked the room.

"I think we need a secret organisation. One where we can divulge our plans and missions in the company of those we trust." Hermione offered this to the room of possible candidates.

"So, like the Order?" Ginny spoke.

"Yes, but we won't name ourselves after the Order. We need a new name." Hermione insisted.

"Agreed. What sort of name are we looking for?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure, but seeing as Neville and Luna are wanting to join I think it would be best to set up our first meeting here and discuss it with them too." Hermione spoke again.

"It's settled then, we'll throw mum and dad out of the house for that night so we can have complete privacy." George said with a smile on his face.

* * *

(The following Friday night.)

"I thought mum would never leave. She kept coming back inside to grab something extra." Fred was informing Neville of how he and George set their parents up on a date for the night.

"Where did you plan for them to go?" Neville asked one of the twins. They just both smirked.

"Someplace you would never expect." They said in unison.

"Remind me never to let you set me up on a date." Neville replied before turning his attention to the lounge room. Everyone was present, even Luna. They all found their seats as Ron filled everyone in about the past few days.

Once everyone was up to date, they started brainstorming ideas for their group name.

"What about The Union?" Harry began the discussion.

"If we put the word 'Griffin' or 'Phoenix' in front of 'Union' it could work." Ron agreed.

"I don't think the order would like us using the word 'Phoenix'. They might think we're stealing their thunder." Luna simply stated in her dreamy like voice.

"We can call ourselves The Lions Club." Neville suggested.

"If we want to be mugged or killed." George replied.

"So, it's a possibility." Fred said smiling.

"No offense, Neville, but that's rubbish." Ron said.

"Ronald!" Hermione sounded shocked.

"He's right, though. We want to sound tough." Ginny supported her brothers.

"I just thought of Hogwarts." Neville tried to reason.

"A lion represents Gryffindor. Not Hogwarts. Being the only Ravenclaw I find it very offensive." Luna piped up.

"Sorry, Luna." Neville apologised.

"That's ok, I find a lot of people offensive. They just don't see me the way I see myself." Luna sighed. "Thestral Damage." She suggested.

"What?" Neville asked completely confused.

"I like it." Ron said.

"We're trying to start a league here, Luna." George started.

"Not a band." Fred ended.

"League." Harry muttered.

"What was that, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"League. George said 'League.' I think that's the start of our name." Harry replied.

"Or the end. If we could come up with a name to place in front of 'League' I think we might have our group name." Hermione spoke aloud.

"Hogwarts League!" Neville shouted happily.

"You're really not good at this." Luna turned to Neville.

"You can talk, 'Thestral Damage'." Ginny laughed.

"I'm pretty sure 'The Lions Club' is worse than 'Thestral Damage'." George stated.

"And what about you?" Hermione asked the twins.

"What about us?" They said together.

"I don't hear your suggestions being brought to the table." She answered.

"We're the judges." They said, once more in unison.

"What about 'The Dragon League'?" Ron started. The others stopped their quarrelling and stared at Ron. "Dragon League. It ties us all together by using our school motto; 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon.'"

"That's… That's actually really brilliant, Ron." Hermione said quite shocked.

"Always the tone of surprise."

An ear piercing blast just outside the house made everyone jump to their feet in an instant. Without words they grasped their wands and ran to see what the commotion was outside.

Once outside The Dragon League saw Kurt Harvey standing in the middle of the field. He had his wand drawn, a smile on his face and reinforcements by his side.

"Speaking of the tone of surprise. Here I am. Oh, I do love surprises!"

"Harvey?!" Harry yelled in shock.

"Oh, Good. You _do_ know who I am. I was beginning to worry you'd forgotten me. Do you understand why I am here?"

"You took a wrong turn at the end of the street?" George asked first.

"You lost your dog and you're wondering if we've seen it?" Fred added.

"You've gotten lost on your way to a party and have stopped to ask for directions?" George tried again.

"You wanted someone to hug?" Fred asked with his arms stretched wide.

"That's funny. You're funny guys. Unfortunately for you that's not the right answer. Get them boys." With these instructions Harvey's men stepped out from behind him and advanced on the newly formed league.

Harvey's men started firing spells at their own will. The Dragon League were ready for this and countered every move made against them.

Harvey was keenly watching the brawl. He wasn't fighting anyone at all. In fact he stood there arms crossed, observing the skills of the Dragon League.

"Good… Very good. You have improved since the downfall of Voldemort. Great wizard, he was." Harvey observed.

"Voldemort killed my parents! He deserved to die!" Harry yelled towards Harvey between spells.

"Rogan, put me back down for lunch tomorrow with Riddle. I feel this won't take long at all." Harvey said stifling a yawn.

Rogan stepped forward with a grin on his face and his wand aimed at Harry. He shot a curse. Harry wasn't entirely ready and slipped on the dew covered grass. He managed to get out of the line of fire in time, but now Rogan was towering over him.

George saw Harry slip on the grass and Rogan glowered over him. George finished off the guy he was fighting and ran to defend Harry from Rogan. He stood in front of Harry, wand raised.

Rogan fired the curse at George but he was ready for it. George repelled the curse with such great precision that it rebounded off his own wand and hit Rogan in the head, killing him instantly.

"Thanks Fred." Harry said as he jumped up from the ground.

"Why are you giving Fred the credit?" George jokingly said.

"Sorry, George. Where is Fred?"

"He's over there with Luna." George said and pointed in the direction of the pair.

Fred and Luna had been working as a team; while Fred defended Luna she was casting spells and hexes toward the enemy. Together they had already taken down 4 foes.

"Luna, bad guy at 8 o'clock!" Fred yelled next to her as he disarmed the guy.

"Stupefy!" Luna yelled in a dreamy sort of way. The foe was sent flying backwards until he landed on the ground with a solid thud.

Two other men had advanced on the fighting duo; one was kind of little, the other rather big and tall.

"It will take both of us to take them down!" Fred yelled over the sounds of cracking curses.

"It's quite exciting isn't it? If only we could watch them fight each other instead." Luna replied to Fred.

"Luna, you're a genius!" Fred exclaimed as an idea came to him. "I'm going to try and get in between them so that I have one guy on either side of me."

"You'll surely get killed that way." She spoke softly.

"No I won't because you're going to go on the end. So it will be little bad guy, me, big bad boy then you. We'll kill off the big boy before turning to the little guy."

Luna nodded then got into her position. Together, Fred and Luna managed to take down the big guy and get rid of the little guy.

"I hope the others are doing as well as we are." Luna said in a concerned tone.

Fred and Luna looked around the field and noticed Ginny and Hermione fighting back to back.

Ginny had her back pressed up against Hermione's. A line of Harvey's men gaining on her. She could only take on a couple at a time.

"Hermione, need your help!" Ginny yelled, never taking her eyes of the moving targets.

Hermione finished off the guy she was fighting and turned so she could see over Ginny's shoulder.

"Ginny, what have you done?" Hermione spoke the first words that came to her head.

"To be honest, I think they want you more than me."

"That would make sense." Hermione quickly responded before pushing Ginny's shoulder out of the way so she had a clear shot at the man in front of her.

A quick inaudible spell hit the man in the chest and he was sent flying backwards.

Ginny followed suit by casting similar spells in the direction of the decreasing line of foes.

One of Ginny's spells hit one of the men, causing him to fall backwards onto the man behind him. The two both fell to the ground unconscious.

"And Ron said he didn't need me." Ginny scoffed.

"At least we're getting the upper hand." Hermione replied.

"How are the others going?" Ginny asked still staring at the enemy.

Hermione took a quick look around, but her eyes rested upon a familiar figure lying on the ground.

Off in the distance Neville was lying on the ground clutching his leg. Kurt Harvey was honing in on him.

A curse had hit him in the leg, slicing a deep cut into it. Blood was seeping through his hands and he was beginning to go faint from the lack of blood. He looked around and saw his friends all competing against the enemy.

Harvey slowly paced toward Neville. He had his wand raised high. "I don't know what difference killing you will make, but at least you won't get in my way anymore." Harvey spoke and aimed his wand at Neville who was still holding his leg.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No Neville's were harmed in the making of this— oh, wait a second. My mistake. It turns out Neville did get harmed during the making of this chapter. Why don't you send him a 'Get Well Soon' review?


	10. Heal Today Hide Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** *Finally managing to stop the tears, I get back up and plonk myself down in front of the computer once more.*

I'm sorry for my sad display earlier. I just can't get over the fact that I have absolutely no ownership of the Harry Potter series. Not even a single word in any of the books. Not one single bloody letter! *Cries hysterically*

 **A/N:** Bit of language in this chapter. Jeez, these characters can really get worked up. I also added a couple of lines from the Very Potter Musicals. If you've seen the parodies you'll pick up the lines almost instantly.

Sorry for the late update. I got caught up in Father's Day and forgot to post. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 10: Heal Today Hide Tomorrow

"Don't worry, Boy. It's just like falling to sleep." Harvey said as he stood at Neville's feet. "Or so I'm told."

"Don't!" Came Hermione's voice as she stepped in between them. Her breathing was hard. "Don't do it. I'm warning you, back off." She spoke angrily.

"Oh, I'm so frightened." Harvey simpered sarcasticly. "Get out of my way, Bitch."

Hermione cast a spell, but Harvey deflected it. "What are you going to do now, Mudblood? Hex me? Go on. Try. I'm ready for any magic you throw at me."

Hermione charged forward. With her wand lowered in her left hand, she clenched her right fist tightly and smashed it into Harvey's nose, breaking it upon impact.

"I gave you a warning." She said as she took back her own wand.

"Ow, you little bitch. You broke my nose!" Harvey got up off the ground and turned to one of his men. "She broke my nose, Yollander." He removed his hands from his nose to reveal the bloody mess beneath them. "Yollander, am I… am… am I bleeding?"

Yollander just nodded. "You're going to pay for that!" Harvey screamed in Hermione's face before punching her hard in the stomach. She keeled over in pain.

Harvey snickered evilly and looked around to find the others still engrossed in their own fights. "Looks like I get to finish you off myself. Don't worry, I won't use my wand. No… it will be all… hands on." His voice became low and husky.

He lowered himself so that he was hovering over her. His face was inches from hers. He pulled her head up by the hair so that her neck was exposed to him. He licked her slowly along her neck. "Yes, I think it will be… _Very_ hands on." He spoke again.

"I prefer feet!" Harvey looked up just in time to get a foot to the face.

"Ron." Hermione whimpered still on the ground.

"Wait there just one second." Ron spoke to Hermione before turning to Harvey and kicking him in the ribs. He turned back to Hermione and helped her up.

Harvey stood up on his shaky legs. "Get the others! Kill them all!"

Harvey's men moved at a rapid pace and surrounded the Dragon League. Although The League had their wands, they were outnumbered by Harvey and his men.

"We're going to die aren't we?" Neville asked from his position on the ground.

"If we were to survive it would be a bit unbelievable don't you think?" Luna answered him.

"Any last words?" Harvey hobbled over to Fred and George.

Fred and George snorted then spat in Harvey's face.

"Wrong people to ask." Harvey responded, wiping away the snotty spit from his face. He then made his way over to Harry.

"I was beginning to like you." He said with a sigh.

"Really?" Harry spoke. "That's unusual because I really hate you."

Harvey rolled his head back in laughter and made his way around to Ron and Hermione. He looked at Hermione first before facing Ron. "Are there any words you would like to say to the whore before I kill you both?"

"Yeah. Yeah, there is." Ron spoke rather calmly.

"Oh, good. Finally someone who cooperates."

"Hermione?" Ron asked as he turned to his girlfriend. She faced him. "Will you marry me?"

The rest of the Dragon League just stared at him in utter disbelief. "I'm… Wha…Huh?" Hermione stuttered.

Harvey drew in a quick breath. "She's hesitating. You know that's not a good sign." Harvey then turned to Hermione, "The proper way to answer when being proposed to is 'yes'. That is if you like the guy. If you don't like him just say so and I'll deal with him." Harvey spoke with true sincerity.

"Yes." Hermione said simply and firmly.

"Really?" A goofy smile beamed from Ron's face.

"Oh, what a happy day! Weddings! I love weddings!" Harvey said. "Too bad you won't be there for yours."

Ron's smile disappeared from his face and was replaced with pure rage. He threw out his fist in an attempt to strike Harvey's face. Harvey dodged the fist and punched Ron hard in his eye. Ron's hands came to his eye as Harvey chuckled and faced Hermione.

"It's a pity it didn't work out between you and me." He said as he caressed her cheek. She responded by kicking him in the balls, sending him to the ground in pain.

"I'm Kurt Harvey!" He spoke as he clutched his 'tenders'. "You think you can get rid of me?"

Ron aimed his wand at Harvey.

"Whoa, Weasley. Look around you. You're outnumbered. You kill me, and you and your little crew die along with me. We'll be remembered as heroes. Well, in our own little ways. Carter, take him out." Harvey instructed and Carter stepped forward.

Ron pointed his wand at Carter. Carter was slowly advancing towards on Ron. Ron's knuckles were turning white from gripping his wand so hard.

Ron turned to Harry as if to get his approval. Harry responded with a quick subtle nod. That was all that Ron needed.

Ron's incantation was almost inaudible over the sound of agonising screams. A bright blue beam of light issued out from Ron's wand, making it hard to see what was happening to Carter.

The light faded and all that could be seen was human remains spread across the Weasley's lawn. Not even Harvey could be seen.

"He's gone!" Neville spoke from the ground. "Harvey's gone!"

"Did you kill him, too?" Harry asked as he came closer to Ron.

"I don't know." Ron answered honestly.

"No, he apparated. As soon as the bright light appeared I saw him turn on the spot and disappear." Neville continued.

"How come we didn't see him?" George questioned.

"I'm on the ground. I didn't get as blinded as you guys did. I had clearer vision."

"I'm guessing that's what the rest of Harvey's men did. Follow the leader." Harry mused.

"It's a bit unbelievable that we survived, don't you think?" Luna questioned the others.

"Thanks to Ron." Harry stated.

"Where did you learn how to pull off something like that?" Fred asked his brother while the others helped Neville to his feet.

"Hogwarts, I guess." Ron answered.

"Hogwarts? No, I meant the blinding light and the excessive amounts of human remains." Fred said as he groomed his twin clean from bloody body parts.

"Yeah, what curse did you use?" George asked as he started picking the remains off of Fred.

"Stupefy." Ron spoke clearly.

"Are you on some kind of mega steroid potion?" George was now freaking out. He motioned Fred behind him and started to move slowly away from his younger brother.

"No! No. It all started 2 weeks ago when Harry and I caught Harvey and Roach in Knockturn Alley. Don't think about it too hard. Just roll with it." Ron was getting fed up at his brothers treating him like some dangerous animal.

"Listen," Ron started, "I'm still the same guy."

"Yeah, but with power!" Ginny exclaimed.

"At least The Dragon League knows now." Hermione said coming up beside Ron.

"Oh, you can talk, Miss 'I-Can-Heal-Myself'." Ron said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred asked looking at George as if he held the answer.

"Hermione _says_ she has this ability to heal herself without a wand, but I have yet to see this." Ron explained to the Dragon League.

"It only works if I've been cut." Hermione replied to the League.

Luna waltzed forward with her wand and muttered something under her breath. A small spell fired from the end of her wand and skimmed across Hermione's bicep.

It wasn't painful and the cut was a little deep, blood started to pour freely from the wound.

"Luna, what was that for?!" Hermione said as she looked at her arm.

"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to show us your power." Luna said in her sweet voice.

"I could've given myself a paper cut or pricked my finger." Hermione informed her.

"Yes, but this seems more dare devilish, don't you think?" Luna responded.

"Look! There's the glow." Ginny pointed to Hermione's stomach. Hermione saw it and tried to cover it up by crossing her arms across her stomach.

The League gathered in closer to inspect the gash that was made on Hermione's arm. Before their eyes the cut began to glow blue and mend itself; the blood stopped flowing and the cut itself was starting to shrink in size. It wasn't long before the League was staring at nothing but Hermione's arm.

"That's great! Do you think you can heal me?" Neville laughed while looking at his leg.

"I'm sorry, Neville. I don't think it works that way." Hermione responded.

"Since when were you able to heal yourself?" George asked.

"I had my first experience 2 weeks ago."

The Dragon League were just standing there in amazement when the back door to The Burrow opened revealing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"What the bloody hell happened out here?!" Arthur exclaimed as he and his wife observed the red, bloody field.

George was the first to speak. "Well, you see. We were holding an engagement party for Ron and Hermione."

Fred joined in on the fun, "The theme is Blood and Gore; Bring your own Guts."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** There were quite a few fatalities during the making of this chapter. I don't see how this is a good disclaimer but if you review it'll make me feel better.


	11. Hide Today Found Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** No more crying. I promise. Although, now I'm angry with myself for not thinking of something so awesome. I don't own Harry Potter. But I thank J.K for her brilliant mind and amazing gift of story writing.

* * *

 **Rise of Riddle**

Chapter 11: Hide Today Found Tomorrow

After spending most of the night explaining to Arthur and Molly about Ron and Hermione's sudden engagement and unexplained powers, everyone turned in for the night.

Molly insisted that Luna and Neville stay the night, too. After fixing Neville's leg with a couple of spells he was stationed on a fold-out bed on the floor in Ron's room.

Molly transfigured a couple of tea towels into another mattress for Luna to sleep on in Ginny's room.

The twins were given a couch each down on the ground floor.

The next morning the League came together and discussed last night's visit over a large container of fresh orange juice, sausages, cooked mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, pancakes, and of course eggs and crispy bacon on toast.

"How did he know we were here?" Ron asked with a mouthful of bacon.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Luna spoke.

"What exactly is supposed to be obvious, Luna?" Harry asked as he sat himself down at the table.

"You're Harry Potter." She replied in her melodic way.

"Bloody Hell! George, did you know he was Harry Potter?!" Fred exclaimed sarcastically.

"Never! He doesn't even look like him!" George responded with the same level of sarcasm.

"What do you mean, Luna?" Ginny asked, completely ignoring her brothers.

"Harry is the most famous wizard in the world. Surely someone would be stalking him. If I weren't here right now I would probably be stalking him." Luna said and everyone just stared at her. "Although, if Harvey was stalking Harry, I wouldn't expect it to be the friendly kind of stalking."

"When has stalking **ever** been friendly?" Ron exclaimed.

"Are you saying that Harvey is following Harry?" Neville asked Luna.

"Why would he be chasing me when he wants Ron?" Harry pondered.

"He's using you to get to Ron. It's easier for Harvey to find Ron whenever he's with you." Hermione said.

"Are you saying that I should stay away from Ron?" Harry asked sternly as he turned to Hermione. Hermione considered what Harry had said.

"No." She spoke softly.

"Hang on, we can't just let this happen!" Ginny exclaimed in anger. "Harry and Ron are best friends, of course they're always going to be around each other!"

"Well, it's either Harry splits from the group and we tell him nothing about the whereabouts of Ron, which by the way I am perfectly happy with, or you two can stay in the open and get killed together." Fred suggested with ease.

"Neither of those are good outcomes." Neville replied to Fred.

"I'd like to hear your idea, Shlongbottom." George retorted on behalf of Fred.

"I have an idea." Hermione spoke as she got up from her seat and faced the Dragon League. "Now, it might sound childish but it might work until we sort things out."

"Well spit it out then." Ron said.

"We hide."

"Hide?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, hide. Harry, Ron, the whole League. We go into hiding. That way Harvey won't know where to look for Harry, therefore he won't be able to find Ron, giving us enough time to come up with a plan."

"That's a good idea, Hermione, but where are we going to hide?" Fred questioned with a slight tone of sarcasm.

"And how are we going to get to this 'hideout' without being tracked or followed?" George joined in.

"He's right. Harvey knows we're here. They're probably out waiting for us to show ourselves." Ginny stated.

"Apparation." Hermione suggested.

"But Ginny can't apparate. She's too young." Ron stated.

"I know that she can't apparate on her own but she can side apparate with one of us." Hermione explained.

The others nodded in agreement. "Exactly where are we hiding?" George asked.

"I was hoping Harry would allow us to use Godric's Hollow as a safe house." Hermione responded. "We could use disillusionment charms to conceal us."

The Dragon League looked in Harry's direction silently seeking his approval to use Godric's Hollow as their safe house, "Ah, Yeah, sure." He answered.

"Great. When should we leave?" Ron asked as he turned to Hermione.

"As soon as possible. We don't want Molly or Arthur to suffer another attack meant for us." Hermione replied.

"We'll leave in the morning." Ron spoke with finality. "That way mum can cook us all breakfast before we leave." He added with a grin.

* * *

By midmorning the next day The Dragon League was ready to apparate to their newly elected safe house.

"I'm not very good at apparating." Neville admitted.

"Just think of it like a dance." George stated as he stood in front of him.

"A dance?" Neville asked slightly confused.

"Yeah, yeah," Fred continued, "You know like twist, twist, turn, kick, turn, twist, kick, nod, bounce, twist, kick, TURN!" He demonstrated throughout his spiel before actually disapparating from his spot.

Neville turned to George, who was smiling broadly. "He can't be serious."

"Oh, yeah. You see the twists help with stretching, the turn is practice, the bounce gets you ready for the landing, the kick protects you and the nod is for extra precaution."

"Right. What was after the first turn?" Neville asked George.

"Kick." George's smile was dangerously wide.

Neville attempted a kick with his eyes scrunched shut, he jumped and ended up facing the opposite direction. He opened his eyes to reveal an impatient looking Hermione.

"Neville, focus!" Hermione said as she clicked her fingers in Neville's face. "I don't want you to splinch yourself. What are you trying to do?"

"Apparate." He replied in a whisper.

"Well… what?" She asked becoming confused.

"Fred and George told me to how to apparate." Neville answered while he watched Ginny apparate alongside Harry. Her hands wrapped tightly around Harry's forearm. She looked up at his face before they disappeared.

Hermione just looked at Neville before stalking over to the remaining twin "George!" George heard the warning in her tone. As soon as he caught sight of the angry look upon Hermione's face he disapparated. Hermione groaned in frustration before turning back to Neville. Aside from herself, he was now the last person present.

Hermione noticed Neville's tense posture and sighed at her distressed friend. "Don't be so quick to trust Fred and George. They'll always make a joke out of you before they turn to help you."

"Can you help me, Hermione?" Neville asked. Hermione nodded.

"You can side apparate with me."

"Thank you, Hermione."

"That's fine, Neville, but we really have got to get you confident enough to do it on your own."

Neville nodded in agreement. Hermione took hold of his arm and told him to follow her advice so that he wouldn't get sick or splinched.

Together they apparated to Godric's Hollow. Upon arrival the others were already heading inside the abandoned cottage.

"You call this a safe house? Because the massive hole in the side of the house doesn't exactly cry out 'safe' to me." George said as he viewed the remains of the house from where he stood.

"Georgie, you've got it all wrong. The hole is supposed to be there. You see the window wasn't big enough and they needed ventilation." Fred responded.

"Oh, give it up." Ginny spoke as she passed her brothers and entered the safe house.

After throwing up in a nearby shrub Neville managed to follow the others to the safety of the house.

Upon landing, Hermione withdrew her wand. Something wasn't quite right, she could feel it. Something or someone was causing trouble and Hermione knew exactly who it was.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Neville's weak stomach was disturbed but unharmed during the making of this chapter. If you would like to donate to 'Helping Hands with Hexes' (a wizard help line for wizards of any age struggling with really simple, easy spells), Please review and let me know. 'Helping Hands with Hexes' is in no way related to Neville and his incapability to perform wizarding techniques.


	12. Found Today Escape Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter, if you were mine…

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 12: Found Today Escape Tomorrow

Upon landing, Hermione withdrew her wand. Something wasn't quite right, she could feel it. Something or someone was causing trouble and Hermione knew exactly who it was.

"Fred! George!" Hermione yelled as she spotted her targets in the entry way of the safe house.

Fred was the first to turn his head back and George followed suit. Hermione's rage was clearly etched upon her face, her fists were clenched by her sides, wand held tightly in the right.

"Fancy seeing you here." George spoke. Hermione wasn't in the mood for their games and their frequent sarcastic remarks weren't helping.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your enlightening knowledge?" Fred said as he smirked and folded his arms in front of him.

"Don't you tell me what is enlightening!" Hermione advanced on her targets. She closed the gap between them. She now stood before them, her head coming up to their chins. The rage remained visible on her face and her speech was seething with anger but she wouldn't allow herself to resort to screaming. "What game are you trying to play?! Are you completely oblivious to the fact that we're being hunted by dark wizards, or do you just not care?"

"Let's just clear up a few things first," Fred began as he leant up against the broken brick wall of the cottage, "One; _we_ are not being chased by dark wizards." He said and motioned towards himself and his twin, "We don't have to be here. We willingly came along out of the goodness of our own hearts to assist you in your so-called quest."

"Well, your _goodness_ is irritating." Hermione retorted.

"And two," George began speaking, completely ignoring Hermione's latest comment, "we _are_ oblivious to everything."

"How do you think we've survived this long?" Fred asked as if he was serious about this question. "If we were focused we would lose focus on what we would have been originally focused on. This new 'distraction' focus would therefore be a type of unnatural focus which we are not used to therefore rendering us unfocused."

"Are you telling me that for you two to stay focused, you need to remain unfocused towards what matters and more focused on pranks and silly nonsense?" Hermione asked, trying to grasp this strange concept.

"Now you're not making any sense at all." The twins chimed in unison before turning and entering the safe house, leaving a very baffled Hermione on the foothold.

* * *

The inside of Potter cottage was terrible; the remaining windows were broken, doors were ripped from their hinges, the ceiling was crumbling above them, centimetres of ash covered all surfaces and what little furniture left that hadn't been destroyed was charred by the explosion that happened here over 17 years ago.

As the group began to pile into the safe house the ash became agitated and began to fill the room with unbreathable smog.

The damp smell of rotting carpet spread throughout the first floor of the house. As the Dragon League made their way towards the lounge room the smell strengthened. The room was demolished. The one thing that remained was the mahogany leather couch. Although the arm rests were singed from the aftermath of the explosion the frame was almost intact.

Ginny made her way around the back of the lounge and ran her hands softly over the scorched back. Ginny thought back to when the Burrow was destroyed by death eaters. She had never been so sad; watching dumbfounded as her belongings burnt to ash. She cried for weeks knowing that she didn't have a place to call home. In the end the Burrow was rebuilt and the Weasley's had moved into their new home.

Ginny silently reflected on how she felt during that time. Even though the Burrow was burnt she knew that in the future she would have a new home to live in along with her family. Harry never had this chance. Voldemort murdered his parents. Both his father and his mother. Gone. He had the house of the Dursley's to live in, but it was not a home. As she reached the end of the sofa she allowed a tear to escape from her eye. Fortunately for her, the cloud of smoke was still thick enough to masquerade her eyes. Hermione's voice pulled her thoughts away from the emotional topic.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked hoping that he hadn't been mysteriously kidnapped by Harvey.

"He managed to make it up the stairs. He has long legs so it's not surprising that he made it past the hole." Luna answered, thinking she was being helpful.

Hermione eyed the stairs carefully. No way would she be able to make it over the gaping hole. She looked back at the others who were staring back at her. She took the first step and knew without a doubt that she would fall through the hole. She stepped backwards and drew in a deep breath.

Ron startled Hermione as he quietly came up beside her.

"I'll go." He spoke softly so that only she heard him. She looked at his face in surprise. "I have longer legs." He smirked.

Ron made his way up the stairs and began searching for his friend in every room. He came to an opened door. He peeked in to see Harry standing at the foot of a charred bed. "Hey, Harry." Ron spoke gently from the doorway.

"This was their bedroom." Harry spoke without turning his gaze from the bed. Ron didn't know what to say to Harry's comment so he stood there silently.

Harry turned to see if Ron was still standing in the doorway. "The last time I was here I never had time to just… take it in." Harry was attempting to hold back his raw emotions, but his clenched jaw and shaking hands gave him away. Ron saw right through him.

"I know you've spent your life missing your parents… but now is the right time to grieve for them." Ron spoke clearly and carefully. Harry's brows raised in surprise before he turned his gaze back to the bed in front of him.

Ron felt a little lost in the face of his best friend's pain so he did what came naturally to him: rambling.

"This one Summer when I was a kid we were playing quidditch in the orchard. I fell off the broom and broke my arm. Fred and George always laughed when I cried so I tried to hold it in and not show how much pain I was in. Mum healed it quick but when Dad got home the twins told him about it. I was so embarrassed I started crying anyway. And then Dad said something to us and it stuck with me. Sort of."

Ron scrunched up his face in concentration. "It went something like 'a man who expresses his feelings is real, a man who expresses nothing is not a man at all.' You get the gist of it. Anyway that day taught me that it's okay to cry when you're hurt. And I… ummm… thought maybe you needed a reminder."

Ron finished speaking and just waited for Harry to respond. He wasn't sure if what he said was going to enrage Harry or encourage him.

Harry stared at Ron, his eyes beginning to water, before keeling over beside his parents' broken bed and openly weeping. He leant up against the creaky frame of the bed and placed his head in his hands to shield his cries from Ron.

Ron had no idea what to do. He hadn't expected this response from Harry at all. He wanted to comfort Harry but he knew how awkward he could be in these situations. So he just stood there for a little while longer.

As Harry's sobs slowly became sniffles he forced himself to look up at his friend. He used his sleeve to wipe his face. "I don't normally cry. I'm sorry."

Ron shuffled his way over to Harry and set himself down beside him. "You don't have to apologise."

"Thank you, Ron."

"For what?"

"For allowing me to just… open up."

"To be honest you sort of scared me at first."

"How?"

"Come on, Harry. I've seen you cry before but not like that."

Harry just nodded slowly at Ron's statement. "We should go back downstairs." Harry said.

As Harry and Ron started to make their way down the stairs they heard the others discussing Ron and Hermione's unexpected powers.

"You guys are like superheroes. Except without the costumes." Luna spoke in her dreamy voice. She was a little disappointed at the fact that Ron and Hermione didn't have matching costumes.

"Don't worry Luna, Fred and I could make something for them." George responded. Luna's face brightened at his suggestion.

"I was thinking those red undies dad always wears to the beach." Fred mused aloud.

"Could someone have given you a potion?" Neville asked, ignoring the twins.

"No. I've checked almost every potions book. Nothing describes the symptoms that Ron and I have." Hermione answered.

"Are you saying we're stuck like this?!" Ron blurted out from his position on the staircase. He was so lost in his own exclamation that he managed to clip his foot on the step and fall into the gaping hole on the staircase.

"So much for superhero." Ginny stated loudly.

Harry let out a laugh as he bent over to help his friend out of the hole. After finally extracting himself Ron made his way over to a chuckling Hermione. "It's good to know my fiancé is always there for me." He stated sarcastically.

* * *

It had been 3 weeks and 3 days exactly since the Dragon League arrived at Godric's Hollow. Every couple of days a team of two would head out and buy groceries to sustain them for the next couple of days. Hermione insisted that the Dragon League should shop every three days. That way if something unexpected were to happen to them whilst at Godric's Hollow the limited food remaining wouldn't seem too much of a waste.

They learnt the hard way that you should never pair Fred and George together. Once when Fred and George had to buy the next 3 days of groceries they returned with nothing but sweets. Ron ended up throwing up after he had eaten too many chocolate frogs for dinner. After that George was paired with Luna and Fred was paired with Harry.

It was Wednesday, July 1st 1998 when Hermione and Ginny returned from their grocery hunt. After eating lunch the Dragon League placed themselves around the lounge room.

"Okay, so what do we know already?" Ron asked the group around a mouthful of bacon sandwich.

"That's very charming, Ron." Ginny stated and turned to Hermione. "I won't blame you if you don't want to marry that thing."

"It's actually making me quite nauseous." Hermione explained and Ron immediately swallowed his mouthful and place his sandwich down next to him.

"Well, I know for a fact that Harvey is definitely working for a Riddle." Harry spoke to the group.

"What makes you so sure?" Neville asked.

"When we were fighting back at the Burrow Harvey slipped the fact that he has lunch with a Riddle." Harry answered.

"Riddle? As in 'Riddle's diary'? The same Riddle that took me into the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny asked as she looked to Harry for an answer.

"Yes." Harry spoke.

"Hang on, wasn't it Voldemort that did that?" George asked.

"Riddle is Voldemort." Ron answered.

"Tom Riddle was his name before he changed it to Voldemort." Hermione added.

"And now he's back from the dead to have tea with Harvey." Fred joined the conversation.

"Tom Riddle is definitely dead. Harry killed him… like seven times." Ron said. "it must be a different Riddle."

"That's some freaky coincidence." George stated.

"Or," Hermione began, "This new Riddle is a relation to the dead Riddle. That would explain why this new Riddle is after us. He's wanting revenge. This new Riddle could possibly be his son." Hermione shared with the League.

"But Dumbledore said that Voldemort couldn't love. So it can't be his son, can it?" Harry asked. He was becoming confused.

"Harry, you don't have to love to produce a child." Hermione said slowly making sure everyone understood what she was trying to say.

"So you're saying that 'dead' Riddle had a son when he was 'live' Riddle and now that he's dead, this 'new' Riddle which is presumably the son of 'dead' Riddle has come to avenge 'dead' Riddle?" Fred questioned.

"It is possible." Hermione stated.

"So for now can we just assume that Harvey is working for 'new' Riddle? Because I'm getting confused." Neville admitted.

"Ok. For now we'll say that this new Riddle is the one that is ordering Harvey to do his work for him. Everyone ok with that?" Ron asked the Dragon League who just nodded their heads in return.

"Looks like there's a 'new' Riddle to solve." Luna said.

"I was thinking... What if our powers had something to do with Harvey?" Ron wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Well, think about it. The moment I had got my powers was when I went with Harry to _Gravel's_. That's where it first started."

"That's great Ron, but that doesn't explain Hermione's powers." Harry responded.

"Actually it does make sense." Everyone turned their gaze to Hermione. "That is if Harvey really is the wizard behind our unexplainable power. The day when the healing glow first appeared was the same day when Ron experienced his powers. What if… what if the data file that exploded belonged to Harvey? That would explain Harvey's rank above the other men. He was an Auror. Not to mention he could be just as powerful as Ron and I, but we have yet to see that."

"But I had Harvey's file the day I went to _Gravel's_." Ron said completely puzzled.

"No, you were given his _case_ file. Not his data file." She responded in her superior _I-think-I-know-what-I'm-talking-about_ voice.

"Is it possible that Harvey is an undercover Auror that is trying to catch Riddle too?" Neville asked innocently.

"Considering all the evil things he has done like nearly killing you, attacked everyone in this room and licking Hermione, he could be a nice guy." Fred said with a smile across his face. Hermione rubbed her neck and screwed up her face in disgust at the memory.

"If Harvey is under the influence of Riddle, why is it that he is the one that is causing your power?" Luna asked in a dream-like trance.

"That's a good question. Hermione?" Harry passed the baton on to the smartest one in the room.

"Maybe it isn't Harvey who is causing our power. It could very well be Riddle. If Riddle is Harvey's boss than most likely it is Riddle who has the power. Riddle could have a power source which means that whenever his men, such as Harvey and Roach, need more power they return to Riddle to stock up. Riddle could just be giving Harvey enough power to get rid of us." Hermione responded after a moment of thought.

"But why would he get rid of Ron? Why not Harry?" Ginny asked.

"It could be that when Ron attacked Roach the power from Roach transferred into Ron. When the file exploded on my desk that day remnants of Harvey's DNA went into my bloodstream when I was cut."

"But I was cut by Harvey and I don't have any powers." Neville spoke as he looked down at his leg that had been injured.

"He could have been running low on power." George suggested.

"That would explain why he disapparated so quickly." Fred followed on from George's suggestion.

"Wherever Harvey is now no doubt Riddle will be there too." Ron said.

"Harvey is probably refilling on power. That's why he hasn't found us yet." Harry spoke.

"Either that or he doesn't know where we are." Ginny chimed in.

"Oh he knows where you are. He just can't get out of the bloody hole in the staircase." Came a frustrated voice from beneath the stairs.

The Dragon League leapt from their spots and didn't hesitate to pull out their wands. Harry stepped closer to the staircase. As he bent in closer he saw the top of Harvey's head peeking out above the brim of the hole.

"You know, for a house with many holes it's really quite difficult to get inside." Harvey said with a smile.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** The mahogany couch was not harmed during the making of this chapter. It was tortured long before this chapter in fact. Poor, mahogany couch. To restore the mahogany couch please leave a detailed review on how much you love the mahogany couch.


	13. Escape Today Breathe Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I do own Harry and his crew. However, I do own Riddle's heir, Kurt Harvey, Yollander and Little Sheth.

 **A/N:** The first part of this chapter is based on Harvey and Riddle's point of view after the battle at the Burrow. Hope you like it. (Harvey reminds me of Jim Moriarty from the BBC version of Sherlock. That is not intentional.) So this is where we meet Sheth for the first time. Please, keep in mind that he is only three, but that all adds to his cuteness.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 13: Escape Today Breathe Tomorrow

Harvey disapparated from the Burrow with the remaining death eaters following closely behind him.

He appeared just beyond the boundaries of a smoke-breathing mountain. Harvey looked over the vast grey desert of rock and ash. He focused his attention on the ash-spitting volcano off in the distance.

"Why couldn't we just apparate to the inside of the mountain? Won't it save time?" A lanky young man mused loudly among the remaining pack.

"Because, Puff," Harvey responded letting out a sigh of irritation, "If one of those kids just so happened to grabbed hold of us as we apparated they would be in the exact location that we do not want them to be in."

"But, Sir," Arnold Puff continued, "Won't they get splinched or somethin'?"

"There is always a chance that that will not happen, Mr. Puff." Harvey patiently explained, "And we can't rely on chances."

Arnold Puff just nodded his dorky head and proceeded to walk towards the mountain.

"Puff! Don't move a muscle. We do not walk to the mountain, remember…" Harvey yelled at Arnold Puff.

"Wha?" Puff just shrugged as he turned towards Kurt Harvey, his lanky arms swinging as he turned. The other men just looked at Puff in shock and disbelief.

"Riddle has set up the perimeter of this landing place with explosives. You set one foot outside of the protection barrier and you'll be blown apart so fast you won't even have time to blink." Harvey stated sternly.

"Oh, right. So we apparate here. Then from here we apparate to the mountain." Puff said with an offside smirk.

"Yes, Puff. How did you ever manage to get out from that battle alive?" Harvey was curious.

"I was guarding myself from the garden Gnomes. They were throwing rocks at me." Puff admitted.

"By Merlin, Puff! My son can do better than you! And he's three!" Harvey spoke firmly before apparating to the mouth of a small tunnel that entered the volcanic mountain.

The inside of the tunnel stunk like dead giants and troll manure. The stone ceiling was low and the ground was slightly wet. It was small and tight and the only light seemed to emit from up ahead. The men walked along the narrowing path before they reached the inner pit of the mountain where the walls opened up into a clear large room.

Light was radiating off the rock walls and a river of what seemed to be water was flowing through the room at a rushing pace. Rock and stone pieces were chiselled back to make stands or chairs for Riddle and his men. On one small stone chair sat a small boy. The little boy noticed Harvey's presence as soon as he and his men came into the opening of the mountain. The small boy leapt from his chair, as he sprinted towards the men his brown fluffy hair bounced with every stride.

"Daddy!" The young boy with chubby cheeks yelled towards the men. Harvey bent down and dishevelled his son's hair with his dirty hand. "You gots back! I know all the time that you gets back!"

Harvey patted Sheth on the back with his bloody hand. "Of course I got back! I'm amazing. How many times do I have to tell you, Sheth?"

"At least once more, Daddy." Sheth said as his small dark blue eyes stared lovingly up at his hero.

"Oh, alright. I'm amazing, Sheth. Don't ever forget it. I know I won't." Harvey spoke boldly.

While Harvey and his son were catching up on the day's events the other men left to greet their own families. Arnold Puff, a man with no family, made his way over to a throne like stone feature and softly ran his coarse hand along the arm rest.

"You dare touch my throne?!" Came a deep hissing voice. The voice echoed and rebounded off the cave walls; hearts momentarily stopped as a figure of grey stepped out from beyond a cave wall. Many men turned back to what they were doing but Puff wouldn't dare turn his gaze from master. Riddle was lean but not lanky, tall and firm. His dark, evil features strengthened his demeanour and his grey hooded cloak enhanced the scowl that was permanently imprinted on his face.

"N…No...No, Sir." Puff said shakily.

"Then you will remove your hand from it before I remove it from you." Riddle said with anger in his red eyes.

Puff looked down to see his hand still resting upon the stone throne. He removed it quickly and rubbed his hand to prove to himself that it was indeed still attached to him. Riddle growled at Puff as he strode past him, his eyes were hidden by the shade of the silver hood that still laid upon his head.

He came to a stop in front of Harvey and snarled viscously down at Sheth. Sheth gasped out of terror and ran off to hide behind his small rock chair he was sitting on earlier.

"Harvey. Why do you not have Weasley and Potter in your company?" Riddle spoke somewhat calmly from beneath the shelter of his hood. He folded his arms smoothly across his chest, revealing his silver spiked gloves.

"They're too strong, my Lord." Harvey admitted quickly.

"Strong? Whatever do you mean, Harvey? I told you to eliminate them from the field." Riddle remained composed as he continued to speak in a calm voice. This only unnerved Harvey more.

Harvey was used to Riddle yelling at him and shouting orders in his face. This whole calm nature was new to him, he had never experienced this side of Riddle before and it was scaring him. He was so shocked at Riddle's abnormal nature that he had forgotten what he'd said to him. "…Huh?"

"Where is Weasley and Potter?" Riddle's anger was beginning to show in his voice. Harvey relaxed when he heard the fury within his tone. This was the Riddle he knew.

"You see," Harvey began speaking, feeling more confident now, "When life gives you lemons-"

"Where are they, Harvey?!" Riddle yelled spraying Harvey in thick saliva.

"You know what? I was just asking myself the same question." Harvey answered while he removed the spit from his face with his hands. He looked up to see the extreme rage burning in Riddle's eyes from beneath the hood. "Like I said, Weasley is strong. His magic is beyond our ability." The rage in Riddle's eye's dimmed slightly. Harvey continued, "…It happened again, Sir." Harvey continued after a slight pause. "What he did to Roach… he did to Carter."

"I want him dead." Riddle stated simply.

"My Lord, where does he get his power?" Harvey asked as seriously as he could. Riddle remained still. "Could he be gaining power from the river?" Harvey asked as he looked in the direction of the river.

"That's preposterous. This river is contained within the mountain. No one knows about its location." Riddle said as he moved towards the river motioning for Harvey to follow.

The two made it to the edge of the river. The river could be seen below flowing rapidly. The waters red tint gave the impression that it was not for drinking.

Riddle and Harvey stayed watching the water rush in silence.

"My Lord, it is ready." Yollander called as he came and stood between Harvey and Riddle. Riddle didn't give any attention to Yollander. He simply turned and walked in the direction Yollander came from. Harvey following close behind.

Riddle came to a dark, magnificent stone stand. On the stand was a red mahogany stone. The stone was big enough to hold in one hand and the slick exterior gave the impression that it was recently exposed to liquid.

"Is…Is that the… The Stone?" Harvey said out of shock as he saw the red stone on the stand.

"No." Riddle said in an irritated tone. "This is only a replica of the stone. It has the same qualities only this time Dumbledore isn't here to destroy it."

"The philosopher's stone." Harvey spoke without thinking.

"No it's not. Did you not hear me? It is only a replica." Riddle snapped at Harvey. Harvey just stared at Riddle with confusion written on his face.

"How is it a replica?" Harvey asked.

"Harvey, what is it about these waters that make it toxic?" Riddle asked even though he knew the answer.

"The acid in the rock walls leak into the water, right?" Harvey replied, hoping he was correct.

"Yes. When Dumbledore destroyed the original philosopher's stone. He brought it here. The acid in the water burnt through the stone destroying its physical form." Riddle explained. He looked down at Harvey to see if he was following the conversation.

Harvey just nodded slowly. "So, where did this one come from?" He motioned towards the red stone on the stand.

"This is what happens when you freeze this source of water." Riddle talked as he moved to stand by the stone. "The Philosopher's stone was physically destroyed by the acid but the properties were only dissolved into the water. By freezing the water I am able to freeze the effects of the acid, yet obtain the power of the original stone."

"But what about Weasley? Is this stone bringing him power?" Harvey asked, frantically trying to piece together the confusing puzzle.

"Before this stone was frozen I mixed the water with another substance to ensure the stones loyalty to me and me only."

"And what substance did you use?" Harvey asked as he moved closer to the stone to marvel at its design.

"My blood." Harvey took two strides backward while his face scrunched up in revulsion.

"Is that why the stone is… Blood coloured?" Riddle turned his head and stared evilly at Harvey. Harvey shifted in his spot. "So… where does Weasley get his power?"

"I don't need to know. I need you to kill them. Kill them all. Take your men, find them. I don't care if you get killed in the process just make sure you track them down and kill them before they track the stone." Riddle was manic and severe in the deliverance of his words.

"My Lord, if I happen to… not return… what will happen to Sheth?"

"Who's Sheth?"

"My son."

"Your wife will take him."

"But, Sir, you killed my wife. You killed her just after she attempted to leave. Then you threatened to kill my son if I ever tried to do the same." Harvey just stood there waiting for Riddle's reply.

"If you die, you no longer care. And if you no longer care, no one cares… and he is of no use to me." Harvey just stared in disbelief at his masters cruel words. "Why are you still here? Find them!"

Harvey gathered his men together once more and prepared for departure. "Harvey." The evil hooded creature rumbled, "If you return empty handed again… Your son will meet with death."

And with that Harvey gathered his men and disapparated from the mountain. It took Harvey just over 3 weeks to find where the Dragon League had kept shelter. Finally Harvey had a chance to take out Weasley and Potter and save his son's life.

* * *

 **A/N:** So pretty much, the reason for Ron and Hermione's powers are still not revealed. Even though the Dragon League have figured it out. They think Riddle has given them power, Harvey thinks they have stolen power from Riddle and Riddle doesn't even care that they have extreme powers as long as they are killed. So the real question is WHERE DO THEIR POWERS COME FROM?!

 **Disclaimer:** Puff's stupidity did not cause him harm in this chapter. Though, I think we can all agree that it won't be long until he is hurt.

In order to prevent young Sheth's death please contact Crime Stoppers or write to us using the review button below.


	14. Breathe Today Brawl Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Me No Own No Harry Potter. I do own a pair of old socks with holes in them. Don't worry, they're clean. Just because I said they're old doesn't mean they're dirty.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 14: Breathe Today Brawl Tomorrow

"Harvey is probably refilling on power. That's why he hasn't found us yet." Harry spoke.

"Either that or he doesn't know where we are." Ginny chimed in.

"Oh he knows where you are. He just can't get out of the bloody hole in the staircase." Came a frustrated voice from beneath the stairs.

The Dragon League leapt from their spots and didn't hesitate to pull out their wands. Harry stepped closer to the staircase as he bent over the railing he saw the top of Harvey's head peeking out above the brim of the hole.

"You know, for a house with many holes it's really quite difficult to get inside." Harvey said with a smile.

"How did you know we were here?!" Harry exclaimed as he looked at Harvey, who was still trying to get out of the hole in the staircase.

"Trust me, if I knew where you were I would've been here 3 weeks ago." Harvey grunted as he pulled himself from the hole. As he stood he noticed that all members of the Dragon League their wands extended towards him. Harvey knew if he spoke they would fire at him without hesitation so he decided to apparate near the front door.

He vanished within seconds and reappeared with a loud pop. The pop echoed throughout the cottage. Harvey's men heard the signal from just outside the cottage and came to Harvey's aid. Soon the Dragon League were the ones cornered near the staircase. They were outnumbered but they were not overpowered.

With a small grin present on their faces Fred and George pushed Ron to the front of the group. Ron whimpered slightly at the sight of Harvey and his 30 men.

"Don't worry," Harvey called to the rest of the Dragon League, "I won't hurt any of you. Only Weasley here. He needs to die." Harvey spoke and raised his own wand and took a step closer to Ron. His men also took the chance to pick their target as they too crept forward.

Suddenly, a small flash appeared from within the Dragon League and Harvey was sent falling backwards. Ron looked back to see his sister smirking.

The brawl began and curse upon curse was sent flying around the room. Many of Harvey's men leapt upon their targets with great gusto, battling with their enemy and pushing them further up the staircase, towards to hole.

"There's too many of them!" Shouted Neville from the back of the group. He was closest to the hole. He used the railing to keep himself from falling in. "I have no room. I don't have enough space to use my wand."

"None of us have room, Neville." Ginny loudly responded, "We all need more space. If we could only catch a break we could spread from this place."

Without words Ron stood abruptly and fixated his wand on his closest threat; a man whose dark scraggly hair had abandoned his head for his chin. He stood with a hunched back firing curses at Ron. Within seconds the man was violently blown backwards by the force of Ron's power. As Ron ran forward to finish the man off many of Harvey's men surrounded Ron, isolating him from the rest of the Dragon League.

One of Harvey's men took the liberty of snatching Ron's wand out of his grasp before aiming his own at Ron. Ron knew if he tried to make a break for it Harvey's men would kill him instantly. Ron was lost without his wand. He was too vulnerable so he just scowled at Harvey's men, anger present on his face.

Fred and George took this opportunity to scoot up the stairs to the second story. They had a plan. A couple of Harvey's men trailed closely behind them.

Neville took Luna's hand and ran to the other side of the room, dodging spells and curses that were thrown their way. Neville's plan was to get on the other side of Ron to advance on the circle of Harvey's men from another angle.

The house that was once Potter Cottage was being tortured. The smell of aged ash diminished as the new smell of burning flesh filled the air around the remaining wizards. Harry watched as the enemy set fire to the mahogany couch. As the battle continued to grow the house was weakening and breaking apart. Holes were widened and the floor was made feebler by the action that filled the house.

Ginny saw her brother surrounded, but in order to help him she needed to get the open space across the room. She made a run for it. She made it to the open space before being hit by a curse. She twisted painfully on the spot and collapsed to the floor where she had stood.

"Ginny!" Harry yelled with panic in his voice. "Ginny! No!" Harry sprinted for her body taking out foes along the way. He reached her wounded body and sighed in relief when he noticed that she was faintly breathing.

The longer he looked at Ginny's form the angrier Harry became. He gripped his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white. He stood up and focused his glare upon the wizard who had hit Ginny. Harry quickly strode towards the wizard but his focus and anger were momentarily halted when the ceiling above him caved in. Harry blocked his eyes from the dust cloud that appeared before him.

The wizard looked up at the hole in the ceiling and saw two red headed young men staring viciously down at him. The wizard gulped in fear and tried to step backwards only to be blocked by Hermione.

"Did he just attack our sister, George?" Fred asked his brother, without taking his gaze off the wizard.

"Yes. Yes, he did." George answered also not looking away from the perpetrator.

"George, why don't you tell this man what we do to people who attack our sister?" Fred continued to taunt.

"Oh, you know, nothing too bad. Just a few cuts and grazes. A few bruises and burns." George responded before he and his twin jumped through the hole from above. "Oh, then we kill you." George continued. The twins closed in on their prey and narrowed him into a corner.

The wizard, realising that there was no escape, spat in George's face. Fred laughed hysterically at his twin's misfortune. George, who was not too happy about the spit on his face, wiped it off with his hand and spread it across Fred's cheek. Fred stopped laughing instantly and stared at the wizard in front of him "Ok. Now you die."

Hermione made her way over to the men surrounding Ron. "Ron! Ron! Are you alright?!" She called from beyond the barrier of men. The men were facing towards Ron, however none of them were eager to restrain him in fear of what Ron might do to them if they tried.

"Hermione?!" Ron called back to her. "They took my wand!"

"Leave it to me." Hermione answered. She was too focused on how she was going to get past the barrier. She started pacing around the circle trying to find the man that took Ron's wand. That way she could take him out, penetrate the barrier and give Ron his wand. As Hermione rounded the bend she saw Harvey standing there in front of her. He was facing her, his own wand in his right hand and Ron's wand in his left.

"I hope you weren't looking for this." Harvey said as he pointed Ron's wand at her.

Harvey fired a curse from his own wand followed by one from Ron's. Hermione saw the two curses rapidly approached upon her. As she repelled the first curse she glanced down to see the abnormal blue glow appear from her centre. The glow distracted her momentarily, causing her to misjudge the trajectory of the second curse. Hermione didn't have enough time to stop it. Then something strange happened. She covered her face with her arms as she felt the curse come in contact with her stomach. Hermione felt her abdomen tighten as the curse tried to pierce her. The curse struck Hermione's abdomen with such force that it rebounded upon impact and flew off in the direction it came. Once Hermione was clear from the curse her stomach loosened back to its original state. Hermione's hands came quickly to her stomach to feel if everything was intact. She was completely fine, apart from some small cramping.

Harvey, on the other hand, did not expect his curse to rebound off of his target and to make things worse the curse was coming straight for him faster than it had left the wand. He was in such a state of shock that he had no time to leave the line of fire. Harvey was blown back by the momentum of the curse, causing him to hit the wall with great force.

The already unsound wall crumbled at the sudden impact. Harvey's men that were surrounding Ron were lost as to what they should do; should they stand their ground or should they check on their potentially dead leader? Their guard was down for only a brief second but that was all it took for Hermione to retrieve Ron's wand and save Ron from the circle of foes. Hermione and Ron ran to where Luna and Neville were.

"Now's our chance to leave." Hermione quickly whispered to Luna, Neville and Ron.

"Where are we to go? This was the safest place on the list." Neville recounted.

"I know a place where we can go but we need to get everyone together." Hermione stated and the others nodded in approval.

Ginny was beginning to come around but her body was in agony. Her limbs felt as if they were petrified. She couldn't feel her arms or legs, all she could do was blink and breathe.

After rendering Ginny's attacker immobile Fred and George quickly made their way over to where Ginny laid on the ground. Ginny managed to blink at her twin brothers.

"Can you move?" Fred asked his unmoving sister. All Ginny could do was blink and breathe. Fred relaxed a little when he saw that she was still alive.

"Blink once for 'yes' and twice for 'no'." George chimed in. Ginny blinked twice.

"George, does blinking count as moving?" Fred turned to his twin.

"I'd say so." George responded before they both looked back at Ginny's unmoving body.

"You're fine." They both said in unison.

"No she's not! She hasn't moved since she's been hit!" Harry bellowed as he came over from where he was fighting.

"No time to talk. Quick. Link arms." Ron said as he and the others joined the other four.

"Looks like Ginny wants to stay here; she's not linking arms." Fred said with a grin.

"Suit yourself, Gin. We're going to Hawaii." George said also smirking.

"Stop it. Both of you. Your sister is injured. Doesn't that matter to you?" Hermione asked as she linked her right arm with Ron and held onto Ginny's warm, hard hand with her left.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Ginny can still hear us, I'm sure she will pay them back in her own time." Luna lulled smoothly.

Fred and George thought about their sister's previous paybacks they had received in the past and in an instant their smiles were replaced with expressions of dread.

"I've never disapparated with this many people before. Just remember to keep your mind clear and your-" Hermione began.

"-Come on, Hermione!" Harry yelled as he saw Harvey's men hastily advancing on the Dragon League.

The group began to feel wheezy as they were sucked out of their current zone into another one far from the danger they were just in.

The Dragon League landed in patches of soggy grass, but were relieved when they realised they were far from harm. They all let out sigh of relief when they realised that they were just beyond the boundaires of The Burrow.

"Quick! Somebody! He's been splinched!"

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Once again, there were a lot of people injured during the making of this chapter. My advice, get used to it. There is a lot more action ahead. If you would like to read more of this action, simply review.


	15. Brawl Today Panic Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** So many chapters, so many disclaimers. I am sick of disclaiming Harry Potter. It means I don't have responsibility over him or his friends. Which is true. However, I did put them into this mess by writing this plot line. HANG ON, GUYS! I'LL HELP YOU!

 **A/N:** WE'RE HALF WAY THROUGH! YAY! Just another 15 chapters to go. I know it's painful but it gives me time to write my next fanfic. Once this one is finished I should be able to start posting my next one. It's a Star Trek one, so if you guys like the new Star Trek movies I suggest you hang around after this story is finished. Or even if you just like my writing style.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 15: Brawl Today Panic Tomorrow

"Quick! Somebody! He's been splinched!" Fred yelled from his kneeling position.

Harry, Luna and Neville made their way over to where George's body lay in the muddy banks.

"I've been splinched!" George said as he cupped his hands over his 'wound'. Fred hovered around his brother.

"Show me." Harry said as he got on his knees to take a closer look at the wound. George 'whimpered' as he uncovered his hands to reveal the hole in his head where his left ear should be.

"If anyone finds an ear it's probably mine." George stopped pretending to whimper and smirked as he sat up. Fred laughed along with him.

"I lost my ear, once." Luna chimed in dreamily. The others just looked at her with sceptical faces. "I got better, of course." She said and tucked her long blonde locks behind her ear to reveal her dirigible plum earrings.

"Does that mean everyone's ok?" Neville asked as he got up off the muddy ground.

"Ginny." Harry quickly realised, turning to where Ginny was still laying. "Ginny. Are you alright?" He asked her frozen form. Ginny blinked once. "Once. She blinked once. What does once mean?!" Harry began to sound worried.

"She's fine." Both Fred and George called as they came to Ginny's side.

"Help! She's not breathing! She's not breathing!" The others looked up to see Ron's figure straggling through the muddy wet bog. Everything from his knees down was soaked with mud and water and his pale face had mud splashed across it. His eyes were wide with alarm and small tears created trails down his cheeks. Clutched in his arms was the motionless, limp figure of Hermione.

"She needs help!" Ron yelled as the Dragon League raced towards the pair. Ron fell to his knees as the Dragon League circled Ron and his fallen fiancé.

"We're surrounded by swamp. Where exactly do we get help from? It will take too long for a patronus to find help." Neville acknowledged.

"That's only if you're the one doing the patronus, Nev. It takes you half an hour just to get the wand movement correct." George started.

"Add another half hour for correct pronunciation." Fred joked.

Harry paid no attention to the twins' torments, he was too busy fretting over Hermione's still body. He always thought of Hermione as a sister. An older much smarter sister that has the ability to make you feel uncomfortable, guilty and unintelligent all at once. But at this moment all that Harry was feeling was shock, regret, and anger. "Wait, she can heal herself, can't she?" Harry asked worriedly.

The others turned to Ron for an answer. "Only if she's strong enough. Does she look strong enough to you?!" Ron cried in anguish as he gestured to the limp body in his arms.

"The Burrow is not far from here. It's only just over the hill." George said as he pointed to a nearby hill, trying to defuse the tension between Ron and Harry.

"Although I'd suggest apparating." Fred chimed in.

"Fred, apparating is why Hermione is like this in the first place." Ron retaliated.

"Suit yourself. But it's either apparating or walking and given Hermione's current state I'd say apparating is the way to go." Fred responded. The others just watched on.

"Fine." Ron said, hating the fact that Fred, of all people, was right. Ron managed to stand up whilst holding on to the unconscious Hermione. "I'll apparate ahead and tell mum and dad that you're not far behind." Ron spun on the spot and within a couple of seconds he and Hermione were out of sight.

Once Ron had vanished the Dragon League made their way back over to Ginny. She still wasn't moving but judging by her symptoms they noticed it was not an ordinary petrifying spell she had been hit with.

Harry tried the counter curse to _petrificus totalus_ but it didn't change Ginny's still state.

"Arthur would know, wouldn't he?" Neville asked the twins.

"Of course he does, Neville." Luna replied as if she was 100% sure.

"Only one way to find out. Alright, I think Ron would've told Mrs. Weasley by now." Harry made his way over to Ginny and placed his hand softly on top of her immobile one.

"What do you think you're doing?" Fred and George questioned in unison.

"I'm going to apparate your sister to The Burrow. That is unless you two would like to take turns carrying her all the way there." Harry requested.

Both Fred and George responded with equal enthusiasm, "Great job, Harry. Nice work. Good thinking."

Before too long the rest of the Dragon League arrived at The Burrow where they found Arthur and Molly anxiously waiting for them.

* * *

The atmosphere around Hermione was unnaturally dark. At first she thought she hadn't opened her eyes at all. However after feeling the motion of her eyes blinking she came to an even worse conclusion. She was blind.

Hermione tensed up the longer she dwelled upon the fact that she couldn't see. She tried looking around her but failed to see anything. She spread out her arms as if she were doing a snow angel and relaxed against the soft mattress which was supporting her bruised frame. _I'm in a bed_. She thought. Her mind kept piling new outcomes and conclusions as to why she was in a bed.

She tried thinking about her last memory. _Ok, Hermione, think! You can do this. Concentrate! Where were you? I was at Potter Cottage. Why? I was at Potter Cottage because the Dragon League needed a safe place to hide from Kurt Harvey. But Kurt Harvey found you, didn't he? Well, yes but – so the place you thought would be a great safe house wasn't a safe house at all. No. And whose idea was this?! Mine! Ok, I admit it wasn't one of my brightest plans. You can say that again! Why am I arguing with myself?_ Hermione was pulled from her unusual thoughts when her right hand brushed up against something fluffy.

"Crookshanks?" Hermione barely croaked out. She was answered by a soft mew and a fluffy paw tapping gently on her cheek. "Oh, Crookshanks" Hermione began to tear up as she realised she was probably never going to physically see her beloved cat again.

Hermione slowly and painfully pulled herself into a sitting position, scooped up Crookshanks and cradled him in her lap. She started playing with his ears as she began to ponder what other sights she will never see again. Many things came to her mind, each new thought more saddening then the last. She began to think about Ron. She would never be able to see him grow old. She would never see herself grow old with him. If they ever had children, she would never see their faces. Hermione began to weep silently to herself, Crookshanks purring deeply on her lap.

Then something extraordinary happened. Something wonderful, amazing, brilliant and magnificent happened; someone tripped on the step just outside Hermione's room.

Crookshanks, startled by the trip, leapt from the bed and back towards his cat house within the cupboard. Hermione brought her knees to her chest and tried her best to listen in to whoever it was on the other side of her door.

"I had it this morning. I always have it on me." The mysterious voice grumbled from the ground outside of Hermione's door.

 _It's a female's voice_. Hermione thought. So it must be either Luna, Ginny or Mrs. Weasley.

"Bollocks! Where is my wand? I can't see a bloody thing in this lighting."

 _Ginny!_ Hermione was ecstatic. Not only was Ginny outside of her door, she also couldn't see a thing. That was until the hallway light was turned on. Although Hermione's bedroom door was shut the artificial light flooding in through the door cracks was almost blinding. Hermione shielded her eyes with her forearm. _I'm not blind after all. It must be the middle of the night. That's why I couldn't see a thing. I'm such a fool._

"That's much better." Ginny's voice spoke again. "Now, where did I last see my wand…?" Ginny pondered to herself. She began pacing outside of Hermione's room. Hermione could see her shadow from underneath the door. She wanted so much to jump out of bed and check to see if Ginny was alright after being cursed, but she decided against it. Ginny seemed well enough and Hermione herself was still tense and sore from her own injuries.

"I put it down when I checked on…" Ginny paused and looked at Hermione's door. She crept towards the door and gently started turning the door knob. Hermione didn't want to scare Ginny so she opted for lying back down in her bed and pretending to be asleep. She would talk to Ginny in the morning.

More light engulfed the room the further Ginny opened the door. Hermione was grateful that she didn't have her eyes open at the time. "Wand, wand, wand." Ginny repeated, muttering softly to herself, as to remind herself what she was in there for.

Ginny came to the bedside table where her wand should be and found it wasn't there. "What the?" She said in confusion. She looked around the room and under the bed. She even had enough guts to search for her wand under the covers of the bed.

Hermione was fighting the urge to just blurt out 'It's not in here!' But she didn't and Ginny went back to searching for her wand.

"It has to be in here somewhere. I swear I put it on the bedside table. Someone must have…" She paused. Hermione was lying as still as she could, wondering why Ginny had stopped herself mid-sentence.

Hermione heard Ginny grumble something, but it was too faint to register the words. Then some soft grunting sounds. _What on earth is she doing?_ Hermione thought as she continued to lay dormant under the covers. She continued to listen in to the strange noises that were coming from behind her. Hermione willed herself not to turn over and sneak a peek at what Ginny was doing.

"Come on. Grragh! Crookshanks give it back!" Ginny spoke harshly, completely forgetting about the sleeping person behind her. "Crookshanks, no! Don't sit on it!"

Ginny shifted on her feet before making the decision to stick her hand under Crookshanks and pull out the wand. She thought it would be easy. She was wrong.

Ginny managed to get her hand under the bad tempered cat, but instead of grabbing hold of her wand she somehow seemed to grab hold of Crookshanks tail. Crookshanks was so stunned he went into defence mode and pounced on Ginny's chest before scooting out the door.

The full force of Crookshanks strength made Ginny stumble backwards, trip on her own feet and fall onto the waiting bed behind. Thankfully, most of Ginny's body landed on the empty side of the bed. Unfortunately her head was now resting perfectly behind Hermione's rear end.

"Phew" Ginny exhaled a sigh of relief. From her position on the bed, Ginny examined Hermione's sleeping frame. "You know, when you think of it, Hermione, you don't have much of an arse." Ginny said in her normal voice obviously thinking Hermione was in a state of deep sleep.

A loud rumble, which sounded like the beginnings of a fart, came from beneath the sheets. The fart droned on until it ran out of… breath? The smelly beast escaped the restraints of the sheets and poured out for all to smell.

"Oh, Holy Wizard God, Hermione!" Ginny tried to keep her voice low. It was the middle of the night after all. "Ok, I take it back, you _definitely_ have an arse." Ginny began to protest about Hermione's slip up. "Dear Merlin, what in hell is that?!" Ginny started gasping for clean air as she tried to get up from the bed.

Hermione was so embarrassed; she hadn't used the bathroom since before the last attack. Her stomach had been churning with gas and she'd felt as if she was going to throw up. She'd needed release. She was going to wait for Ginny to leave so she could sneak off to the bathroom but when Ginny fell it had scared her a little too much so everything within her… slipped.

She couldn't keep up the pretence of being asleep for any longer. She had to apologise to Ginny for her rudeness. She could tell that she was blushing profusely by all of the heat that had risen to her cheeks.

"Hermione! Oh, sweet Merlin! God have mercy! Did I just literally scare the shit out of you?!" Ginny tried to whisper as she stood beside the bed and waved her arms frantically trying to clear the horrid smell from her nose. "You're worse than Ron!" Ginny began to wipe tears from her eyes. "I'm crying. Oh my god, I'm really crying. You made my eyes burn with tears."

Hermione had had enough. Yes, she farted but it wasn't _that_ bad, was it? She too was beginning to get teary but not because of the gas leak. She was being verbally pummelled by her best friend. Did she do this to her often while she was sleeping? Did she sometimes sit there accusing her, throwing blow after blow of insults at her while she slept? Ginny wouldn't do that, would she?

Hermione stumbled out of bed and looked towards Ginny, unable to make eye contact. Ginny stared in amusement and astonishment before the blood drained from her face. Realising that Hermione had tear marks down her cheeks Ginny lowered her head in shame.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Hermione's broken voice pierced the silence and she staggered out of the room on shaky legs.

Upon returning to her room, after spending a good amount of time in the bathroom, she noticed Ginny was sitting cross-legged on her bed fidgeting with wand she pulled out from beneath the cat. Ginny looked up at Hermione then made herself useful by playing with her wand again. Hermione made her way to the bed and sat down beside Ginny. Neither spoke to each other for a good few minutes. "Was it really that bad?" Hermione broke the silence as she turned and made eye contact with Ginny for the first time since she woke.

"Ghastly." Ginny replied with a smile. Hermione couldn't hold a grudge against Ginny. She and Ginny were close friends and Hermione didn't want to ruin the friendship she had with Ginny because of her own overreaction. She started to laugh out loud. Ginny caught on too, and soon they were in hysterics.

"I'm sorry I said your fart stank. It was true but I shouldn't have said it. I should've known you were awake." Ginny apologized.

"I'm sorry, too. I couldn't control it. I hadn't been to the bathroom since before that last attack. I should have held it in and waited- Hang on, how were you to know that I was awake? People can fart in their sleep, you know?" Hermione questioned halfway through her apology.

"Yes but not people who are on strict potions, such as yourself." Ginny replied.

"Strict potions?" Hermione inquired. "What do you mean by that?"

Ginny exhaled and began to fill Hermione in on all the missing details. "After you apparated the Dragon League to the muddy swamp, your breathing faltered and you became unconscious. At one stage we all thought you had died. Ron apparated you directly here. Mum wanted to take you to St. Mungo's but Dad said it was too dangerous, especially with Harvey out to get you. Eventually mum came around. She gave you a sleeping draught before administering potions that help heal internal wounds. She also gave you a potion that stops the body from… digesting. Then she put you to bed and we've been keeping an eye on you since."

"So you're telling me that this potion that stopped me from messing my bed would stop affecting me when I woke up?" Hermione asked as she tried to grasp how the potion worked.

"Yes. That's why I should've known you were awake but it's been so long I almost forgot."

"Been so long?" Hermione queried. "What do you mean? I've been sleeping for only… " Hermione glanced at her bedside clock. 2:17 am. "12, maybe 13 hours."

"No, Hermione. You've been asleep for over a month."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Ginny's lungs were slightly harmed during the making of this chapter. If you know someone who has Irritable Bowel Syndrome, please help them by sending me a review. I'm am not quite sure how sending me a review will help them but at least it might make Hermione feel better.


	16. Panic Today Stress Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, I just write about him and his friends; sending them through fire and making them suffer. I'm evil, I know. But what else am I to do when I'm bored?

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 16: Panic Today Stress Tomorrow

"No, Hermione. You've been asleep for over a month."

"What? How can that be?" Hermione's pitch jumped in confusion.

"Mum gave you those spells and potions to help you revive. One of the potions was to keep you asleep until all the other potions completed their work. Which I guess would be now." Ginny spoke softly.

Hermione sat cross-legged on the bed, her hands fidgeting as she thought it over.  
"What happened to you when you got back?"

"I was fixed easily. 2 potions and I was set straight. Then I spent the rest of the night getting back at Fred and George." Ginny said with a smirk.

"What did you do to them?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised.

"Bat Bogey Hex. It was not pretty. 2 twits with 1 hex, I like to say." Ginny replied smiling broadly.

Hermione smiled before realising that she had been unreachable for 34 days. "Ginny, how are the others? Luna? Neville? Did anyone splinch themselves? How is Ron? Is he ok? Has Harvey attacked? We need to -"

"-Hermione calm down!" Ginny hushed, pushing Hermione's shoulders so she landed back down on the bed. "Everyone's fine. Luna said that if we stay here at The Burrow we won't be caught. She said something along the lines of 'the closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm.' I understood it but it took the rest of the week to explain it to Ron and Neville."

"That's… actually a really good idea. Have we had any attacks?"

"None so far. Mum even suggested that we have a low-key party for my 17th. Invite only family. Something to look forward to." Ginny looked at Hermione hoping to gain her approval on the matter.

"Sounds great. I think we all need a bit of a break from all of this attacking."

"Really? I thought you were going to start protesting." Ginny reached out and placed her hand on Hermione's forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, Ginny. Where is everyone now?"

"Luna and Neville went to their own homes but everyone else is here. Ron has barely left your side. Mum won't allow him to stay in here at night. It's almost 3. We should be getting to bed. I'll see you later." Ginny tucked Hermione in before leaving for her own bed.

* * *

It was 8:15 in the morning when Ron decided to pull his lanky body out of bed and check on Hermione. He stumbled down a couple of stairs as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. He had gotten himself into a routine; wake up, check on Hermione, go to the bathroom, check on Hermione, eat breakfast, check on Hermione, play wizards chess with Harry then check on Hermione, eat lunch then check on Hermione for the rest of the day.

Ron reached Hermione's bedroom and opened the door. His eyes skimmed over the bed and realised that there was no body in it. At first he thought someone had taken her, but he quickly wiped that from his mind and proceeded to search for his lost fiancé.

"'Mione!" He called as he looked under her bed and in her cupboard. "Hermione!" He called again as he ran out into the hallway and started racing down the stairs. He started getting faster, as he rounded the next corner he stepped on a very fluffy, very angry cat.

 _YYEEOOOW!_ Crookshanks yelped and darted from beneath Ron's feet causing him to fall forward and tumble down the remaining flight of stairs. As he was falling his loose boxer shorts slid down his legs exposing him and his _dragon_ to whoever was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Ron stood up abruptly as if he had never fallen. He yanked his boxer shorts up with one hand and scooted into the kitchen. "Hermione?!" No Hermione. However, he saw a very bewildered looking mother and a surprised looking sister staring dubiously back at him. Ron straightened his posture and composed himself slightly. "You haven't happened to see Hermione, have you?" Molly and Ginny just smiled.

"Ron?" Came that familiar voice from the flight of stairs Ron had just fallen down.

Ron spun around so quickly he almost lost his footing. "'Mione! You're awake! You weren't in your room. I checked but you weren't there."

"I was in the bathroom." She answered softly as she slowly came down the stairs and halted on the step that made her eye level with Ron. "Are you alright? I heard you yelling my name, then a crash."

"He trod on Crookshanks and fell down the stairs. He lost his boxers. It was hilarious and traumatising all at once." Ginny chimed in from the kitchen.

Before Hermione could respond Ron grabbed her around the waist and spun her around whilst jumping. "You're awake. I can't believe it!" He kept repeating as he continued spinning.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled in a demanding tone. Ron was so taken back by her response he stopped immediately and put her down. She looked at him with a forced smile before darting up the stairs again.

"Hermione, I'm sorry!" Ron called after her as he ran up the stairs behind her, passing Harry along the way.

"Was that Hermione?" Harry asked Ron. Ron let out a strained 'yes' before the two boys ran after Hermione.

Hermione reached the bathroom and slammed the door behind her before retching into the basin. The boys could hear her from the other side of the door.

After emptying her stomach into the bathroom basin Hermione cleaned herself up and opened the door to find not only Ron and Harry standing there but also Fred and George.

"Good to see you're awake." George started.

"You look good." Fred smiled, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

After catching up on the events of the last month and informing Neville and Luna about Hermione wakening, Hermione and the others started planning for Ginny's low-key birthday party.

* * *

 **(Back at Potter Cottage just after the Dragon League disapparated from the attack.)**

"Is he dead?" Puff said as he came out from behind a smouldering pile of debris which had once been a chair. He stood there blankly staring at his smoking leader.

"No. Just badly bruised." Yollander responded while examining Harvey.

"Would you two stop your yapping and help me up from this burning rubble?" Harvey croaked from beneath the remains of a cottage wall.

Kurt Harvey, with the help of Yollander and Puff, got to his feet and swayed lightly as he checked over himself. The curse that had hit him had exploded upon impact, charring his green outfit to a nice crisp black. His hair was currently smoking which complemented his ash burnt aura.

"This was not how I pictured it to be. I'm miles away from home base and still smell like bloody volcano smoke." Harvey said after he sniffed himself.

"It could also have something to do with your burnt clothes." Puff pointed at Harvey's smoking outfit, quite chuffed with himself for pointing out the obvious.

"What a nightmare." Harvey spoke, referring to the last couple of months his team had been experiencing.

"Tell me about it. Just one look at you and I know I'm going to get nightmares." Puff answered. Harvey just growled at him earning a soft squeak from Puff.

"Where are they?" Harvey questioned as he rubbed his jaw and stared at the remaining men.

"Not here, Sir." Puff said, once again stating the obvious.

"I can see that, Puff, which is why I asked 'where are they?'" Harvey asked again sternly.

"We don't know, Sir. They apparated not long ago. None of us got to them in time." Yollander informed his sizzling leader.

"You mean to tell me that they got away again?! My God, we're terrible at this." Harvey admitted as he sat down on a steaming pile of rubble. His men followed suit.

"What do we do now?" Yollander asked, looking to his leader for guidance.

"We could go back to the volcano. At least there's food there that we can eat." Puff suggested in a hopeful tone. Having eaten nothing but mushroom soup for the past three weeks was starting to take its toll on everyone.

"We can't go back, Puff, you imbecile." Harvey sneered. "If we go back there now without Weasley and Potter, Riddle will have my son's head served to me on a silver platter."

"So you're going to risk having your own men die from starvation just so your son will live?" Puff selfishly asked.

"It's not just my son he will kill. He'll have your head just because it looks funny. He'll probably throw your body away." Harvey stated. "Come to think of it, he probably will throw your head away too." He amended.

Harvey's men looked to the ground as they realised how much power Riddle had over all of them. "So our only chance of survival at this rate is to get Weasley and Potter back to Riddle. Dead or alive." Yollander stated.

"Don't forget the whore. She's more powerful than Potter. I mean, look at me! I'm practically a pile of burning flesh!" Harvey yelled at his men. "I'm sorry I yelled at you just then. It's just… that bitch ruined my favourite shirt." The men looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

"So what's our plan?" Puff asked quietly.

"We don't go back to Riddle. Not now. Not until Weasley and his whore are dead."

"But we don't even know where they went." Puff was getting confused, again.

"Puff, you remind me of a very dumb troll. And that's saying something because trolls are naturally dumb. So what I'm really saying is that you are dumber than the average troll. Smellier too." Harvey retorted.

"I know we don't have a lead just yet but starting anywhere is making progress." Harvey stood once more, as did all of his men. "Come on men, No one lives forever."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Harvey's shirt was harmed during the making of this chapter. If you want to see Harvey get even more humiliated, please review. If you are fond of the weird guy and don't want to see him get hurt again, review anyway.


	17. Stress Today Angry Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Mr. Potter is not owned by me. I'm not even sure if my imagination could think of something as epic as Harry Potter.

 **A/N:** This chapter is a short chapter, sorry. It also didn't bring much to the story line. Sorry again. However, it is setting up the next chapter perfectly which has a lot to do the plot. So sit back, relax, enjoy the chapter, have a cup of coffee (or tea if you prefer tea) and please don't forget to review.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 17: Stress Today Angry Tomorrow

It had been 12 days since Hermione awoke from her potion-induced coma and the Burrow was as cramped, noisy and full of activity as it once had been when all the Weasley children were at home.

The date was the 16th of August and only the Weasley's immediate family were invited to this major event. Percy, the twins, Bill, Fleur and even Charlie showed up at the Burrow the day before, ready to celebrate their sisters 17th birthday.

The twins were the first to show up at the Burrow. "Morning." They said together as Arthur opened the door slightly.

Upon seeing them Arthur then opened the door fully, roughly grabbed Fred and George by the collar of their shirts, brought them inside, rammed them up against the wall with one arm, slammed the door shut, withdrew his wand with his free hand and aimed it at their panicked faces.

"Whoa, Dad, ok I admit it. It was me who put the puking pastel in your cereal last week. Just don't kill me." George spilled.

"Way to go, Georgie. Dad pokes his wand at you and you tell all. Some brother you are." Fred remarked. Arthur then focused his wand at Fred. Fred shut his mouth and refused to speak in fear that his own father would blast him from here to Hogwarts.

"Who was that at the door, dear?" Molly asked from the Kitchen. She placed her rag on the countertop and stepped out from behind the kitchen basin to get a look at her first guests, only to be surprised by the strange scene before her.

"Arthur Weasley, what on Earth are you doing?!" She exclaimed as she came to a halt beside her deranged husband.

"Mum, he's gone insane!" Fred blurted.

"Tell him to lower his wand!" George also yelled.

"Arthur!" Molly put on her stern voice and placed her hands on her hips.

"Not now, Molly, dear. These two could be imposters." Arthur stated just as sternly as Molly had.

"Oh, dear, not this again." Molly sighed and looked from her husband to her sons then back to her husband. "Get it over with then. But when the others come you are NOT doing this." Molly relaxed her form and made her way back to the kitchen basin.

After she had left Arthur's sight he pressed his arm harder into Fred and George's chests.

"Mum!" George yelled.

"He's going to kill us!" Fred screamed in panic.

"When Fred and George were five years old, what did they give me for father's day?" Arthur asked firmly. Fred and George's face went from horror to humour. Their gasps were exchanged for giggles. "Well?" Arthur asked as he pressed his arm even harder into the boys' chests.

"Fred and George gave you radishes in bed." said Fred.

"Then Fred and George wrapped up one of the angry gnomes and gave it to you as a present." George continued the story, smiles clearly formed on their faces.

"When you unwrapped the gnome he saw you had stolen his radishes." Fred spoke again.

"He tackled you. Even managed to get in a few good punches. Didn't he break your nose?" George questioned his father.

Arthur lowered his wand and brought his hand to his nose in memory. "I would've settled for just 'a gnome'. No need to go into the details." He removed his arm from their chests. "It's good to know you're not intruders."

"I remember now. The gnome even followed you around afterwards. Every time mum told you to go pick radishes for dinner, he'd be the one who would throw stones at you." Fred chuckled, living in the memory.

"Alright you can stop there." Arthur said as he left to go help his wife. "The others are out the back setting up the marquee."

* * *

The night of Ginny's birthday was a hit. Everyone was laughing and cheering, not to mention making toasts whenever possible. The twins held a toast for each and every present that Ginny opened the twins would toast it. After the party had started to die down, Percy left claiming he had work the next day. Everyone toasted that.

The girls headed indoors while the boys stayed out under the marquee drinking fire whiskey and other assorted wizard beverages.

After the wizard war ended earlier this year the Weasley females and Hermione had made an effort to be nicer to Fleur. Ginny had stopped calling her Phlegm after she saw Fleur singlehandedly take out both Fred and George with impressive skill.

"So, Fleur, what is it like to be married?" Ginny asked her older sister-in-law as the women sat down in the lounge room.

"It iz very different to living with ze parents. Back with mama and papa zey are in control of everyzing. When you get married you 'ave to step up and gain your own independence." Fleur spoke with her French accent.

"Does Bill ever bother you?" Hermione asked trying to gain information for when she gets married.

"All ze time." Fleur laughed. "But most of ze time we are very 'appy togezzer. Yes, we do 'ave our fights but normally we resolve zem and move on. Our biggest issue we 'ad was to learn how to trust in each ozzer. We are still learning but I can confidently say we are much better zen when we first started." Fleur stated. She looked back to Hermione who was now looking at the ground.

"Hermione." Fleur started speaking again. Only this time she was sincere. "Every marriage has itz hiccups. Some more zan ozzers. I can understand what you are zinking about. You're worried about getting married, yes?" Fleur asked blatantly which earned a brilliant blush from Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione, dear. You'll be fine." Molly said calmly from the arm chair directly opposite Hermione's gaze. "Trust me, I know love when I see it and my boy, Ronald, is very much in love with you."

This statement somehow made Hermione blush harder. "It's just that Ron has grown up surrounded by family. Ron will be fine. It's me I'm worried about. My parents weren't the best example of two people in love so I can't really draw upon their experiences for guidance." Hermione paused before quickly adding, "I don't know the first thing about marriage."

"I wouldn't worry about it, 'Ermione." Fleur chimed in once more. "Zat is what makes married life so interesting. Not knowing iz what ze first couple of years of marriage iz all about. You learn from mistakes and after a while you'll know what to do."

Hermione couldn't speak. She couldn't believe that she was already getting marriage advice from Molly and Fleur before she's even married.

"What about kids?" Ginny asked Fleur. "Wouldn't they slow down progress?"

Fleur looked to Molly for the answer to this question, "Children are a blessing. Some might be a handful and others may need to be isolated before learning lessons but they don't hinder marriage. If anything it strengthens a bond between husband and wife."

"How?" Ginny asked her mother.

"Well, when kids team up against their own parents it is good to have someone there to help punish them." Molly said with a smile. "What about you, Fleur? Will I get any grandchildren soon?" Molly inquired.

"Maybe." Fleur said with a small grin. "We've talked about it a lot lately."

"How exciting. When you do have children that would make me an aunty." Ginny said in a chuffed manner. "I will teach them everything I know, starting with the bat bogey hex."

"Oh, no you won't!" Molly argued. "If and when Fleur has children I would like it for them to stay alive for more than a few years."

"How are you going to do that?" Ginny asked with a chuckle in her voice.

"By not letting any of my children near the poor baby until its fifth birthday." Molly spoke seriously. "Except for Bill of course." She added as she turned to Fleur.

Fleur laughed at her extended family before excusing herself from the room with a polite "Excuse moi, I need to use ze restroom." She then stood and exited the room leaving Molly, Ginny and Hermione behind.

"I should realy stop calling her 'Phlegm'." Ginny said after Fleur's departure.

"I'm going to get started on dessert. If you need me I'll be in the kitchen." Molly left leaving Ginny and Hermione by themselves.

"Now what?" Ginny turned to Hermione.

"I need to show you something." Hermione answered and grabbed Ginny's hand leading her up the staircase, passing Fleur along the way.

Fleur came to join Molly in the kitchen. Before too long there was a yelp from outside and cackles of laughter. Molly and Fleur went to see what all the commotion was about.

Upon entering the scene outside Molly saw Charlie cupping his hands under his mouth. Saliva was pouring out of it. His hands were overflowing with slick drool. He emptied his hands before bringing them back up to his mouth to catch more.

"This has Fred and George all over it." Molly fumed.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No one was harmed during the making of this chapter. Even Charlie got a kick out of having his mouth produce excess saliva. No harm. Seriously. The night was filled with fun games such as pin the hat on the wizard, pass the exploding parcel and magical chairs (where the chairs move around by magic and when they stop people sit on them.) They finished the games with a peaceful round of 'review this chapter.'


	18. Angry Today Blush Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Now don't get angry but I'm not the owner of Harry Potter. Calm your farm! I know, I'm shocked too.

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 18: Angry Today Blush Tomorrow

Molly made her way to where Charlie stood. The anger she carried in her stride was equally apparent on her face. She bustled her way through the small crowd and finally reached the place where all the attention was. Fred and George were nowhere in sight.

Molly mumbled nonsense as she grabbed Charlie by his shirt and dragged him back towards the house, away from the view of others. "My goodness, Charlie, when will you learn?" She asked in an accusing tone.

"E wosn ma fau! Fey an Jor tik me inoo aykin um -"

"Don't talk, Charlie. Not when your mouth is producing more saliva then you can handle." Molly spoke as the two of them reached the kitchen. Molly turned to face her second eldest son. She cast a quick spell to stop the flow of unnecessary saliva, gave Charlie a quick look over and then grabbed his shirt again to drag him up to the bathroom.

They didn't speak until they reached the bathroom. Molly threw Charlie into the small bathroom before she followed in after him and closed the door behind them.

Charlie took off his shirt and proceeded to run it under the water while his mother performed one or two final spells to make sure the drooling had definitely stopped.

"What happened?" Molly asked in a superior tone.

"Uh, well, Fred and George were talking to me and I got so caught up in the conversation… when they offered me gum I just took it… as soon as I put it in my mouth I realised it was a mistake." Charlie responded as he fixed his ginger ponytail.

Molly turned to deal with Charlie's now wet shirt which was still in the basin. "What am I going to do with them?"

"Let them have fun. They're adults. If they don't know what they're doing with this equipment then… book them into St. Mungo's as soon as you can." Charlie jokingly stated. Molly's head snapped in his direction; eyes staring daggers. "I'm kidding, Mum. They know the dangers. At least I hope they do."

"Oh, Charlie, I'm just afraid that they'll never find a girl and settle down, maybe have a couple of children. Although, I have to admit I'd rather them not have children of their own." Molly started to get a bit teary at the thought of her twin boys never maturing.

"Do you want them to slow down and be forced into maturity or do you want them to be happy?" Charlie asked quite seriously.

"I want both. I guess their happiness comes first though."

"They will mature. In the end. However faraway that may be. Let them have some fun."

"Oh, Charlie. I guess you're right. Am I a bad mother?"

"Oh no, no." Charlie informed his mother as he enveloped her into a tight hug. He was at least two heads taller than she was. "You're the best mother I've ever had." The two shared a soft chuckle before Molly reached for the toilet paper to wipe her teary eyes.

Molly made her way over to the bathroom bin to dispose of the toilet paper when something caught her eye. She let go of the toilet paper and picked up what seemed to be a white stick.

Charlie leant forward to view the object in Molly's hands. "What is it?"

"It is a muggle object."

"Muggle? What does it do?" Charlie asked, now curious about the object in his mother's hand.

"I believe they are used as confirmation tools."

"Confirmation? What do they confirm?" He asked as he came closer.

"This, Charlie," She held the stick up for Charlie to see, "Is a muggle pregnancy test. Your father always got me to use one of these when we thought I was pregnant. Almost every time it was right."

"How does it work?" Charlie asked as he grabbed the stick in his own hand to get a better look at it.

"Well, you wee on the part that you're holding." Charlie let out a childish yelp and dropped the stick on the tiled floor. "You could've told me that before I touched the bloody thing!" Molly bent over and picked up the muggle object and looked over it. "What are you doing now?" he asked as he began to wash his hands in the nearby basin.

"I'm looking for the screen. If there is a negative sign it means the person isn't pregnant. If there is a positive sign it means the person is."

"What does this one say?" Charlie pointed towards the object, being careful not to touch the thing. Molly held up the object to Charlie's face and he almost fell over his own feet trying to get away from it.

"Positive."

"Someone's pregnant?" Charlie asked trying to grasp this muggle concept. Molly just nodded. "Who was the last person in here?" Charlie questioned.

"Fleur."

Fleur was outside with her husband and his family when they all heard a loud scream come from inside the Burrow. The noise became louder the longer the scream endured. Everyone turned towards the open back door as the scream came closer and closer to the assembly of people outside.

Molly entered the scene holding the pregnancy test in one hand whilst screaming joyous praise.

"I knew it! A mother always knows. I could tell. It was only a matter of time!" Molly began rambling loudly as she embraced Fleur with a fierce hug. "I am so happy for you and Bill. BILL! My son! I can't believe it, I'm so happy."

"Mrs Weasley, Pleaze, calm down." Fleur tried to soothe her excited mother-in-law.

"How can I be calm on such a glorious night?! I didn't mean to pry, but it was just there."

"Pry? I don't understand?" Fleur was in a state of shock and confusion.

"The bathroom! The thing in the bathroom!" Molly was ecstatic.

"What thing in the bathroom?" Bill asked trying to extract his wife from his mother.

"The bin!" Molly shouted, half-deafening Fleur who was still trying to escape Molly's clutches.

"The bin in the bathroom?" Bill asked, now becoming quite confused.

"What iz wrong wiz ze bathroom?" Fleur asked.

"Not the bathroom, dear. The bin in the bathroom!" Molly let Fleur escape from her clutch before she swung the poor French girl around so she could stare into her frightened eyes.

"What about it?" Bill was still lost in conversation.

"Doez it need to be emptied?" Fleur asked in deep confusion. By now the other family members had all gathered around to view this unnatural sight.

"No, no, no. I found this in it!" Molly held out the pregnancy test for everyone to see.

"Is that a pen?" Came Ron's voice from the background. He was squinting, trying to get a better look at the mysterious object in his mother's hand.

"Don't be stupid, it's a needle." Bill called from the middle of the circle. He grabbed the test and waved it around after examining it himself. "My bad, it is not a needle."

"Of course it's not a needle." Molly yelled as she snatched the test back from her eldest son. "It's a pregnancy test."

"Oh, dear." Arthur whispered from behind the crowd of people. He was the only one wearing a muggle party hat on his head. It read 'Happy Birthday' in big blue letters. He loved the idea of specialised hats for certain parties.

"Vell, whatever it iz, it iz not mine." Fleur spoke clearly, rubbing her shoulders when Molly finally let go of her.

"Are you sure?" Molly asked, a little softer then her previous proclamations.

"I've never seen anything of ze sort in my life. I don't even know what a muggle pregnancy test lookz like." Fleur said as she allowed Bill to guide her away from the arms of Molly. Molly's face faltered slightly as Fleur's words sunk in.

"If it doesn't belong to you… then… who?" Molly started worrying.

"Alright, I confess." Every face turned to see the speaker.

 **Disclaimer:** Fleur was not harmed or crushed during the making of this chapter. Pay no attention to the bruises on her upper arms. Please stop violence against witches by reviewing this chapter.


	19. Blush Today Defend Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Because you all know that I don't own Harry Potter from now on I will be disclaiming other things I don't own (but secretly want to own). Starting with a king-sized bed. I do not own one, but I would very much love to.

 **A/N:** I just want to say a BIG thank you to all my followers particularly Heronlove. Your reviews make my day and keep me motivated. That's why reviewing is important.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 19: Blush Today Defend Tomorrow

"Alright, I confess." Every face turned to see the speaker.

"Fred?" Harry spoke with a chuckle.

"Yes, it's mine." Fred said as he stepped forward, George by his side.

"There is no time for your foolishness!" Molly said enraged.

"I'm hurt. I confess and this is what I get?"

Arthur came to the front of the circle. He was prepared to stop his wife from killing his son, if the need called for it.

"Who's the father?" Faces turned to Charlie. "Sorry. I'm just… curious."

"Well, Georgie, should you tell them or should I?" Fred asked as he turned to his twin.

"Disgusting." Ginny whispered under her breath.

"I'm the father." George boldly spoke. "I, too, was surprised. How could I not? When Fred told me… I just… broke into tears of happiness."

"I think I'm going to be sick." Harry said as he sat himself down on the porch stairs behind him.

"That's it! The two of you are grounded!" Molly started shouted again, only this time she was frightening; nose flaring with a face as red as her hair. But that didn't faze Fred or George one bit.

"We don't live here anymore." Fred said with a smirk.

"Then you can both go and pick radishes from the garden until I say you can stop! You won't be doing it with magic either. You start now." Molly yelled at her twins as she held out her hand to retrieve their wands. Fred and George just stared at each other. Was she being serious? It was 10pm and she wanted them to go gardening for radishes? Without magic? "NOW!" Molly repeated with a shout. Fred and George jumped a little as they withdrew their wands with haste and dumped them in Molly's hand. They scooted off in the direction of the radishes quicker than you could say _snitch_. Molly rubbed her brow in frustration.

After the commotion died down a small voice came from within the crowd of people. "It's mine."

Faces turned once again. "It belongs to me."

"Hermione?" Molly spoke in confusion. Hermione nodded softly, tears forming in her eyes.

"How?" Molly's whisper was barely audible.

"I used it to show Ginny."

"Sorry, Hermione. I didn't know it would come to this." Ginny's words were sincere.

"Hermione, is it true?" Molly asked calmly. Hermione started to cry softly as she nodded her head. Molly quickly took Hermione and led her away from the commotion. After a while Bill, Fleur and Charlie decided to leave the Burrow. After saying goodbye to his two eldest sons, Arthur turned swiftly and paced towards Ron with remarkable speed. Ron would've been more frightened by his father if he wasn't wearing that stupid birthday hat. Ron didn't know where to look; the hat or the face. Upon seeing the look carved into his father's face he thought that the hat was a safer choice. Harry looked from Arthur's cold gaze to Ron's frightened stare, back to Arthur's birthday hat then back to Ron's face before making his own quick exit up the stairs. Arthur spent the next 20 minutes in deep conversation with his youngest son.

As Harry passed a bedroom door a small hand appeared from behind it, grabbed Harry's shirt and yanked him inside.

"Ginny!" Harry shrieked. "Don't scare me like that!" Ginny laughed but it waned quickly under the sombre mood.

"Is it… true about Hermione?" Harry hesitatingly inquired.

Ginny sat down on her bed and gestured for Harry to follow suit. Harry sat down slowly and waited for Ginny's answer. "Yeah, it is."

"Did I miss something?" He asked more to himself than to Ginny. "When did they get the time to…?"

"Remember when you guys had that panel interview?"

"You're telling me it happened at the panel interview?!"

"No! You know how Rita Skeeter asked if Hermione was pregnant? She said 'no' then Ron got defensive and he ended up confessing that he and Hermione had done _it_ but not in the Forbidden Forrest. Well, they _had_ done it that night. I don't know where but Hermione came to me to confess. I just listened. " Ginny rambled quickly. She waited patiently while Harry processed all of this new information.

"Should you be telling me this? This sounds all kind of personal." Harry mused loudly.

"Yeah. Well, she's the one who keeps saying that you're like a brother to her. Besides, there are bigger things on her mind right now."

"So they did do it then." He softly said as reality started to sink in.

"Well she wouldn't be pregnant if they didn't."

"She's pregnant."

"That's what I just said."

"She's actually pregnant. With a baby."

"Well, I hope it's a baby. They're in for a rude shock if it isn't." Ginny chuckled to herself.

"How far along is she?"

"She said she was just over 3 months."

"When did she find out?"

"A couple of days after she woke from her coma. She knew something wasn't right. She'd been getting cramps and dizzy spells."

"Did Ron know? Before tonight?" He asked.

"She told him the day she found out."

"They did a good job at hiding it." Harry thought aloud.

"Until tonight."

"Until tonight." He repeated.

"Are they keeping it?" Harry asked as he turned to face Ginny for the first time since he entered her room.

"This is Hermione we're talking about. Of course she's keeping it. Why? Do you think Ron won't want it?" She asked as she became concerned for the future of the unborn baby.

"Oh, he definitely wants children. At least he got in before the balancing beam accident." Harry smirked at the memory.

"Balancing beam accident?"

* * *

After everyone was briefed on Hermione's condition an urgent house meeting was called. All people living under the roof of The Burrow were called to the living room. Bruised and battered Fred and George entered the house and made themselves comfortable on one of the couches, spreading mud and dirt all over the couch. Molly entered the living room, saw Fred and George sitting on the couch with their dirty clothes, and smirked.

"This can't be good." George whispered to his brother.

"I agree. She's smiling." Fred agreed.

"If I recall correctly, I do believe you said that you didn't live here anymore." Molly sang happily.

"What does that have to do with a house meeting?" Fred questioned.

"House Meeting: A meeting called for all members of the household. You said yourself that you are no longer members of this household."

"You want us to go back out there?" George asked with a raised voice.

"We've already picked 4 buckets of radishes!" Fred exclaimed.

"And you'll pick another 4 buckets before you can come back inside." Molly joyfully stated as she shooed her twin sons out of the house. She cleaned the dirty couch before sitting in their place.

Ron, Harry, Ginny and Hermione shuffled into the living followed by Arthur. Harry and Ron sat down on the floor which left the couch behind them vacant for the girls to sit on. Ron let out a shaky breath. He had been holding it since his private talk with Arthur.

"Alright, I think it is best that we get this meeting over quickly so everyone can get to bed and rest up." Arthur began to speak where he stood, towering over the youngsters, hat sitting on a perfect angle on his head. Everyone in the living room gently nodded in approval.

"I had a talk with Ronald," Arthur continued as he directed his gaze upon Hermione, "and we both think that it will be better for you if you stayed out of the Dragon League."

"Stay out? You can't kick her out of the Dragon League! She's our brains!" Ginny hollered over the heads of Ron and Harry.

"She is also pregnant, Ginevra." Although Arthur spoke sternly he did not raise his voice. Ginny sat back into the couch at the mention of her full name. "She will always be a part of this Dragon League, but travelling around with lack of food, comfort and shelter is no way to care for a pregnant woman. She will be much safer here."

"If I may speak, Mr. Weasley. I am very thankful for your concern, but I feel I am most practical in the field with the others. I am surrounded by some of the best wizards and trust that they will be there for me if the need calls for it." Hermione objected as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Hermione, dear, there was a time not too long ago where we all thought you had died." Molly tried to reason.

"She saved our lives." Harry spoke for the first time and all faces turned in his direction. "If Hermione didn't apparate us away from Potter Cottage we'd all be dead right now." Harry stated calmly from his spot on the floor.

"I understand that, Harry, but who's to say Hermione will be capable of saving you the next time Harvey attacks?" Arthur remarked.

"Hermione's the smartest witch of our age. She's capable of anything." Harry openly confessed what the others were thinking.

"Yes, Harry, but pregnancy messes with your hormones; reflexes get delayed, and there are mood swings and sweats, not to mentions dizziness and cramping." Molly debated.

"I'm pregnant, that doesn't make me disabled." Hermione retorted. She didn't like people pointing out her flaws and faults.

"And as a pregnant woman you should take on board what is best for your unborn child." Molly pleaded as if she were mentally trying to convince Hermione to stay behind. "Please, Hermione, at least until the child is born." Molly's eyes were full of concern and fear as she waited patiently for Hermione's response.

Hermione looked at Ron. "Ronald, what do y-"

"I want you to stay here," Ron butted in. Upon seeing Hermione's scowl he quickly began talking again, "Just until the baby is born."

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed at Ron's response. She had been hoping that Ron would give her permission to go wherever the Dragon League needed to go.

"Hermione, the day you apparated us out of Potter Cottage I was in agony as I held you in my arms. You were dead. Almost. Sort of. Remember when I splinched myself when we were hunting for horcruxes?" Hermione nodded at the random throw back into memory lane, "Take that feeling. The feeling you felt when you first saw me. You got it?" How could she forget? She'd felt absolutely distraught; her best friend covered in his own blood, gasping for air, dying. "Now double… No wait, triple that feeling."

A tear trailed down Hermione's cheek. She'd had no idea of how traumatic it had been for him the day she was placed into a coma. She silently begged for someone else to talk. Anything to take the attention away from her long enough to wipe her cheek without alerting the others that she was crying. What was wrong with her? Why was she crying in the first place? _Bloody hormones_. The silence was getting rough. She needed a distraction. Anything to divert attention from herself.

At that moment, Fred and George entered the room at a flurried pace. "He's here!" George yelled before Fred pushed him to the ground trying to reach the living room before his brother.

"Where's our wands?" Panic etched into Fred's facial features as he dashed into the living room at high speed. George pulled himself up from the ground and rushed in beside Fred.

"Who's here?!" Molly trembled as she stood abruptly from her chair.

"Harvey!" The twins chimed together in perfect, terrified, unison.

So much for a distraction.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No Fred's were impregnated during this chapter. Thank God for that! Please review and tell me why I decided to write that, because I have no idea what was going through my mind. Actually come to think of it my friend Phoebe came up with the idea and begged me to do it.


	20. Defend Today Search Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Another thing I don't own, that I would like to own (besides Harry Potter) is a jumper, or jacket, or sweater, whatever you want to call it. I own one jumper. I don't feel the cold but I love the idea of owning more jumpers.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 20: Defend Today Search Tomorrow

"Mum! Wands! Now!" Fred yelled so sharply that it snapped Molly back into action. She reached into her cloak and drew out Fred and George's wand and threw them at the twins. She then drew her own wand and followed the twins outside to where the trouble was brewing.

Arthur, too, withdrew his wand from beneath his cloak and raced towards the back door of the Burrow. Ginny looked to Harry as they simultaneously ran after Arthur. Ron turned to Hermione as he took out his wand.

"You should stay here." He told her.

"Ron you're not stopping me from protecting my family." Hermione argued as she held her wand tightly in her hand.

"They're my family, too!" Ron snapped back at her causing her to gasp at his actions. "Hermione, you're my family. I don't want you to get hurt. Any of you." He added, stepping forward to place is calloused hands gently on the smooth of her stomach.

Hermione let him linger there for a small moment before shifting his hand away. "I'm more likely to get hurt doing nothing than defending myself."

"'Mione, just stop fighting for once." Ron spoke in a begging tone. He then ran out the back door and Hermione sat back down on the couch with a huff and crossed her legs out of frustration.

By the time Ron was outside the battle was in full swing; Harvey had arrived with his men in tow, throwing curses at any foe that crossed their path.

"There's Weasley!" Harvey's voice boomed out over the brawl.

"Yeah, so?" Arnold Puff replied to his leader as he cowered behind one of the other men on his side.

"So, go get him!" Harvey continued to yell, making sure every one of his men heard him. He did not want Puff to ruin things by getting himself blown apart.

The back yard was once again filled with wizards battling for dominance. Harvey, too, was firing curses of his own. He was still dressed in his scorched shirt and burnt trousers and the smell of volcano ash was becoming more and more evident each passing day. Harvey noticed the strange old man wearing an unusual hat upon his head. _Perfect_. He thought. _Nothing like an old senile man to warm things up_.

Harvey strode over to where Arthur was fighting off some of Harvey's men. Harvey raised his wand, ready to send curses flying towards this man. Arthur noticed Harvey from the corner of his eye and jumped so that he was facing the crazy wizard.

"Nice Hat." Harvey spoke through his grin. "Is it really someone's birthday? Or do you just wear hats like this for fun?" Harvey asked in quite a serious tone. Arthur didn't answer instead he opted for sending a couple jinxes in the direction of Harvey. Harvey dodge the first couple but got bawled over by the third. Harvey looked up from his position on the grassy ground to see Arthur standing over him, his wand pointing between Harvey' eyes. "I'm guessing it's someone's birthday, then." He chuckled. "Can you believe it, boys? They were having a party without me! I feel terrible! Showing up uninvited, thinking you were. I am so embarrassed."

"You threatened to kill my son!" "Arthur directed his fury at the wizard by his feet.

"Is that what he said? God, people never take me seriously these days. Not only did I threaten to kill your son, I actually did TRY… once. Maye twice… " Harvey said from the ground. He was still on his stomach but he now had his back legs wagging up and down in the air like a young child, his arms crossed in front of him like he were lying in a meadow of daisies. "Yes, I think it was twice. I know for a fact that it was no more than three."

Arthur drew his wand hand back to deliver the final blow, but was hit by a spell and sent spiralling backwards. He landed in the dirt with a thud. Molly saw him land and squeaked in shock at the sight of her husband lying still on the ground.

"Arthur!" She screamed and slowly made her way over to her husband, defending herself from spells and curses along the way. She reached her man and knelt by his side, manoeuvring him so the air could reach his lungs. "Thank heavens you're alright." She exhaled as Arthur opened his eyes and looked at his wife.

"Oh, no!" Arthur said in shock as realisation sunk in.

"Arthur, what is it?" Molly rapidly spoke as she watched Arthur quickly jump to his feet. Molly got up too, still repelling any oncoming spells.

"Is my hat ok?" Arthur grinned at her. Molly couldn't help but give a slight chuckle. "How is everyone?"

"Ginny and George are working together. They're over by the shed."

George and Ginny had worked out some sort of game plan. They had tried it many time during games of quidditch and were hoping that their opposing team were dumb enough to fall for the trick. Ginny often played as Chaser and was used to having the opposing team chase her. For tonight's battle she would work as the distraction, running as fast as she could past the opposing team to gain their attention. She did this often during quidditch but would always trust that the Beaters would deal with the unwanted challengers. This is where George came in, but instead of using a Bludger he would shoot spells and hexes.

This game play worked well at first. That is until the enemy realised their stupid little act and started to ruin their game plan by gaining on the two of them simultaneously and boxing them in so that their backs were up against the shed wall.

Harry turned mid fight to see if any of the others were injured. As his gaze swept pass the shed he noticed George and Ginny pressed up against the wall with numerous amounts of Harvey's men encircling them. More men than they had seen before.

"Fred!" Harry called out over the noise of the battle hoping to catch Fred's attention. Fred was closest to Harry and although he was busy sending spells off in every direction, he managed to hear Harry's cry for attention.

"Harry!" Fred called back in a cheerful voice. He wasn't moving from his spot, he didn't want to risk getting hit by any stray curses.

"Ginny's been cornered." Harry yelled out again whilst shielding himself from an onslaught of various curses.

"She's fine!" Fred answered back, not even bothering to look in the direction of where his sister was.

"Fred! She needs our help! George can't help her on his own!"

"Georgie?" Fred asked, concern clearly evident in his voice. His reaction was instant. He sprinted in the direction of Harry. Once he was within arms distance he reached out and grabbed Harry's shirt dragging him along behind him as they both made their way over to where George and Ginny were boxed in. However, since Fred had Harry his shirt it made it very difficult for Harry to turn and fire hexes at the ever growing enemy behind them.

Harry tried to manoeuvre out of Fred's grasp but his hand was wrapped too tightly around the material of Harry's shirt. Harry tried turning around slightly to aim a hex at one of Harvey's men but turned too far. His feet got caught up in the speed and gave way from underneath him sending Fred and himself tumbling to the ground.

Harvey's men were quick to act. Grabbing both Harry and Fred by the scruff of their shirts they marched them towards where Ginny and George were cornered against the shed. Fred and Harry were slammed into the shed wall with brutal strength causing them both to exhale a hissing breath of pain.

"Glad you could join us, Freddie. I was getting bored talking to the little one." George said, motioning towards his younger sister.

Once Ron entered the scene outside, he was immediately pulled into the action. He heard Harvey yell something about his appearance and within seconds he was surrounded by Harvey's men.

Ron felt the power within him start to course through his veins. He raised his wand, about to minister a killing blow when he was struck from behind. The look upon his face as he fell was a mixture of shock and alarm. He stumbled down the stairs of the porch, his lanky limbs flailing everywhere as he bounced down towards the ground. His body hit the hard dirt and was still.

"I did it, Sir!" Exclaimed Puff in utter surprise. He was standing on the porch a heavy bucket of radishes in one hand. "Weasley is down!" He jumped giddily on the spot as if he were performing an Irish jig. He placed the heavy bucket of radishes beside him and carefully descended down the porch stairs to get a better view of Ron's still form. Puff leaned in closer to Ron's face and began poking at it with his bony finger just to make sure he was completely out of it. "I think I killed him!" Puff shouted and a wave of terror washed over his scrawny facial features. "Oh no, what have I done?!"

"Don't be absurd, you flaky piece of garbage. He's just unconscious. You can't kill a fly even if it stayed still long enough for you to hit it." Harvey managed to say as he began to get up from the ground. After Yollander had blown Arthur out of Harvey's sight, he thought it safe to get up from the ground. "That will have to do for now. We can come back for the whore later."

Harvey stood high and took a look around. Molly and Arthur had been captured and thrown up against the wall of the shed with their children and Harry. Harvey's mouth broke into a grin as he noticed his team had finally got the upper hand.

Harvey waltzed with delight as he approached Ron's unconscious form. His spirit picked up as he realised that Puff actually did something good for once. "Next time I'll get you to hit Weasley's girl over the head with a bucket of radishes. It might make her look prettier."

"I recommend the radish juice for facial treatment." A soft, angelic voice swept over the field. Everyone turned to see the petite frame of Luna Lovegood standing on the back porch, swirly in a flowing blue dress. "It soothes dry skin and is easier to apply than a bucket." She continued, completely serious tone. "Not to mention less painful."

"That may be true, but not nearly as entertaining." Harvey responded in his usual bright demeanour. "How did you get here?" He asked, confusion in his voice.

"Well, I was just coming back from the woodlands near the swamp. I was collecting honey from the beehives where the Glumbumbles live." She started to tell.

"Glumbum—What?" Harvey asked as he tried to comprehend this strange girl.

"Glumbumbles. They're small flying insects that make treacle."

"Treacle? Like a syrup?" Harvey asked, now fully captivated by this strange beast.

"You can eat it, it will cause depression upon consumption, but it is edible." She said dreamily as if she were singing a lullaby.

"Right." Harvey said in a low drawn out voice as he looked from her to Ron's fallen figure back to the strange girl again. As Harvey was about to shout more orders a crash could be heard in the direction of the shed. Harvey spun quickly on heels in time to see Neville's clumsy body extract itself from the pile of Harvey's men.

"What? No!" Harvey yelled as he ran a couple of steps in the direction of the diversion, to get a better view. "What are you doing men? Get up and deal with this piece of trash! Meet me back at the site." Harvey turned towards Ron again and was shocked to see the deluded blonde girl standing right before his eyes. "Get out of my way!" Harvey bellowed, his voice tinged with panic.

Luna didn't budge. Instead she opted to blow him back off his feet with a quick cast of inaudible " _Stupefy._ " Harvey landed on his back once again. He yelped in pain as his body struck the hard ground. Luna rushed towards Ron. She held onto his limp hand as she apparated the two of them away from the battle scene.

Neville had rounded the corner of the shed and saw the Weasleys and Harry pressed up hard against the wall, being held at wand tip. Neville's mind raced. _How am I going to get them out of there?_ His hands came to his temple to help him focus on the task at hand. _I could try using a spell or a charm but if I miss then my position is compromised_. Neville's hands came down to his sides in a flash as he began to step back cautiously. He knew what he was going to do.

Thanks to his little run up, Neville leapt at the men surrounding his friends and tackled most of them to the ground. Neville stumbled onto his feet and proceeded to kick at the men who he had taken down.

Neville's distraction gave everyone just enough time to act. Luna had stepped up to Ron and disapparated from view whilst the Weasleys, along with Harry and Neville, continued to fight against the enemy. Harvey glared around at the sudden turn of events and called for retreat. Within seconds, one by one, Harvey's men followed his cue and retreated from the Burrow leaving behind a very flustered family.

"Well, it took you long enough!" Fred said towards Neville as he shoved his wand into the pocket of his pants.

"How did you know we were in trouble?" Harry asked in true astonishment.

"Hermione sent us a patronus. She said Harvey was attacking the Burrow and that you needed back up." Neville spoke to everyone. Luna waltzed out of the back door onto the porch once more.

"Where's Ronald?" Molly asked, very concerned for her youngest son's wellbeing.

"He's inside with Hermione." Luna spoke softly.

Everyone moved inside the house to debrief the recent events. Hermione took the time to fill in Luna and Neville on her current predicament and why she was stationed inside for the duration of the battle.

After Ron came around he was seated on the sofa next to Hermione. His eyes were red and his head bruised from the bucket that had hit him earlier. Every so often Ron's hands moved to his bruise to rub it gently causing him to wince. "Now what? We can't stay here." He said as he looked at his hands just to make sure they weren't covered in blood.

"We have to move." Harry stated simply.

"Again?" Ginny sighed in agitation.

"Yes. They know we are here. They'll attack again if we don't move. We have to lead them away from The Burrow. We have to take them somewhere else." Harry continued to speak.

"Take them somewhere else." George repeated softly and Fred just stared at him.

"What are you babbling on about?" Fred questioned his twin.

"Wherever we go this maniac finds us. We're taking him on a field trip. Wherever we go so does he." George spoke aloud.

"We kind of established that a few weeks ago." Harry said.

"Keep up, you loons." Ginny chuckled at how slow Harry was.

"You don't get it. We decide where the battle field is." George smiled.

"Georgie's right. We could take him places he doesn't know about. Like our joke shop. It may be a bit cramped trying to fit all his men in the one place but at least we know what we're dealing with. Give him a love potion. That will spruce him up. At least he wouldn't want to kill you." Fred joked.

"George has a point. For a moment we had the upper hand in this last battle because you guys knew the land better than your opponents." Hermione chimed in. "If we can find a place that we know better than them, we might actually have a chance at taking Harvey out for good."

"I'm in." Neville said with eagerness.

"I'm in, too." Luna joined.

"Where should we head to?" Ron asked.

"Whoa, something like this takes time to prepare. If you want to take Harvey out once and for all then you'll need a plan." Hermione objected.

"Hermione, you know plans don't work well with us." Harry rebutted.

"Harry, this isn't like last time. This is different. You must work out a sturdy plan before you mindlessly get yourself killed. Find a remote place. No people. No curious people and just plan… something. Anything. Find something you can black mail him with. Ambush him. " Hermione started listing off ideas. Hermione swore she saw the others slightly nod in approval.

"Are you coming with us?" Neville asked softly, hoping not to receive one of Hermione's famous scowls in return.

"I am not." She said softly as she hung her head and crossed her arms.

"What? Why?" Neville asked again this time with more boldness.

"Because, Neville, I am pregnant and I have been given strict instructions to stay behind and research while the rest of the Dragon League do the field work." She said with a strong huff and planted herself down on the sofa angrily. "I will be your, so called, 'internal investigator'. Away from the harm but still doing research on Harvey's background." She finished with a slow exhale.

"So, you'll know where we are then?" Neville asked.

"Of course."

"And where are we going exactly?" He asked to everyone.

"I suggest Grimmauld Place. It's off the beaten path and I doubt Harvey knows of its existence." Hermione spoke again.

* * *

It was nearing 2am when the Dragon League were packed and ready to head off to Grimmauld Place. They thought it was best to leave the Burrow as soon as they possibly could and get planning on the final battle.

The Dragon League were out the front door waiting on Ron. He stopped to say a proper goodbye to his fiancé.

"Will you be alright?" Ron asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm stranded here with nothing better to do than read." She seethed.

"Isn't that your dream?" Ron smirked as he began to descend down the front stairs. He paused and looked back up into Hermione's eyes waiting for her answer.

"Not when there is a battle to be won!" She exclaimed with hands on her hips.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten pregnant." Ron smirked, realising too late that what he'd said was a mistake.

Hermione drew close to the decks edge. The top of Ron's head was almost touching her chin. She viscously scowled down at him and he swallowed hard in fright. "Do you think I asked for this?" She fumed.

"N…N…No. I didn't mean it-"

"How could you say such a thing?!" She bubbled. "It was not _all_ my fault, you know. If it weren't for you I wouldn't even be pregnant!"

"But you are." Ron silently spoke.

After realising the soft look upon her man's face she took a deep breath to soothe her anger. "But I am. Even after applying every contraception spell, potion and charm. I am still… pregnant." She said as pinched the bridge of her nose in order to stop her from crying.

"Hey…" Ron cooed as he snaked his arms around her waist and drew her to him. "It's going to be alright. We'll get through this. We have plenty of helping hands."

"It's not the helping hands I'm worried about. It's me… I'm not… ready… to be a mother. Not when Harvey is out there hunting us down to kill us. I can't comprehend any of this at the moment."

"You'll be ok. You've nagged Harry, you've tutored Neville, you've scolded Fred and George, you accept Luna for who she is, you've taken Ginny under your wing and you've protected me. On numerous occasions."

"Come on, Ronnie!" George yelled from down the path.

"While we're still alive!" Fred added.

"Well it's 2am. I've got to go. But I'll see you," he kissed her on the lips before squatting slightly in front of her, "and you," he kissed her belly gently before standing straight again, "when I get back." He made his way down the stairs before turning around and making his way back up to meet Hermione's confused look. He pulled a small object from his pocket looked at it for a short while before placing it in her small hands.

"This is for you. In case you want to find us." He said sincerely. Hermione looked at the object in her hands.

"The Deluminator?" Her voice was soft. "Thank you, Ron."

Ron went to go kiss his fiancé once more but Hermione used one hand to block him, her face scrunched up in revulsion and she pulled her head away from Ron's. "What's wrong?" Ron asked in confusion.

"You smell like smoke." She said as she willed herself not to throw up on him.

"That would be Harvey. He tends to get a little too close to me sometimes." He smirked once more before disapparating along with the rest of the Dragon League to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No party hats were skewed during the making of this chapter. If you would like a birthday party hat, please let me know by reviewing this chapter.


	21. Search Today Ambush Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Besides Harry Potter I also don't own a spaceship. I would like to own one, then I could travel into outer space, warp through time and meet strange alien races that have pointy ears and strange logical behaviour. But that, my friend, is another story entirely.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 21: Search Today Ambush Tomorrow

"We almost had them that time!" Harvey shouted at his men as they gathered around the tiny campfire which served as their main light source. "Where did we go wrong?!" Harvey exclaimed looking at his men waiting for an answer.

"Well, we did -" Puff began to voice his opinion but was stopped with a spell to the chest by Harvey, sending him backwards. He hit the dirty ground behind him before struggling to get to his feet as if nothing had happened. The others looked on with amusement as Puff's lanky form rolled round on the dirt near the wall of bushes.

"Wrong answer boy." He turned to his other men who were now looking to each other for clues. Yollander stood abruptly with no fear and no determination.

"We did NOT go wrong, Sir." Yollander's voice was deep and settled.

"Right you are, Yollander. You could all learn from this guy." Harvey said, pointing to Yollander with his wand while dancing around the fire. "They just had reinforcements." Harvey kicked the dirt in frustration as he remembered the silly blonde girl who stunned him.

"They ambushed us, Sir. They came in with their reinforcements and got us from behind. What more could we have done?" Puff said aimlessly stoking the fire with a short twig as he settled himself down in the space he was just in. The other men just turned their gaze in Puff's direction. Puff didn't notice, he just continued to babble on. "I say we call it quits for now and go back to the Volcano for some grog and salted pork."

"You know for a split second I thought I was losing my mind. You were beginning to make sense. Then you spoke too much and all respect and dignity fell to the ground. Right in front of you." Harvey aimed his words at Puff. "A big pile of worth just lying on the ground."

Puff didn't know whether to inflate his chest with pride at the fact that Harvey acknowledged him properly or deflate his chest in confusion as to why they still couldn't return to the Volcano.

"You know exactly why we can't go back! Kurt Harvey's son! His life in the hands of Riddle." Yollander yelled across the fire at Puff.

"And our worthless lives are in the hands of Harvey!" Puff stood to yell his insult back at Yollander.

"Whoa. Whoa! Is that an insult about me? I'm not 100% sure but to me it feels like an insult." Harvey huffed.

Yollander turned his attention to Harvey. The other men's gazes also turned. "We need to give to them what they have given to us. Let them taste their own will. I say we ambush them. Kill every one of them and take what we need back to Riddle."

Harvey's smile grew wickedly wide. "I like the way you talk. But there is one other teensy problem we have. The blondie and the clumsy fool that tackled you. We get rid of them first. Then they won't have reserves. Men!" Harvey yelled so loudly that his men stood to attention. "I believe we have ourselves a mission within a mission. Let's take out the boy first. He'd be an easy target; lanky, clumsy, stupid. Just like you, Puff. Alright, men. Let's get started. The sooner we start searching for the boy, the sooner we can remove him from their little pack." And with that Harvey and his men doused the fire and proceeded to search for Neville Longbottom.

* * *

The Dragon League arrived at Grimmauld Place not long after apparating from The Burrow. It was still very early in the morning. The streets were dark and the road before them was coated in a glossy sheen from rain. Startled dogs barked at the sudden presence of the League. Harry looked around and quickly counted the members of the League before scooting across the road to the footpath on the other side. The others followed closely behind Harry and waited patiently until the doorway for number 12 appeared before their eyes.

It had been four days since the League settled down in Grimmauld Place and Neville's constant babblings of his grandmother were becoming painfully annoying. It started off with a simple remarks such as ' _My grandmother wouldn't like me eating this'_ or ' _Gran likes it when I iron my shirt'_. Then the remarks turned into something a bit more unbearable like ' _I wonder what Gran is having for dinner tonight?'_ and ' _I must tell Gran this when I get back, I hope I'll remember'_.

The Dragon League put up with Neville's ramblings for two weeks before confronting him on this matter. "Neville! Shut the hell up! I don't want to hear about your Gran and her pedicures! You have got to stop!" Ginny shouted at Neville after he made a comment about his Gran's toes. She had come back from supply shopping and was currently sitting on the floor of the drawing room rubbing her bare feet when Neville came into the room.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'm just worried about her. While I'm staying with the Dragon League and with Harvey looming around, there is no one there to protect her if anything happens." Neville responded, almost pleadingly. His intent hadn't been to irritate the others but the way Ginny had just spoken to him made him realise that he had been annoying them for the past two weeks.

Harry looked up from the couch he was seated at, Ron by his side. They were going over different ambush strategies but stopped to look at the rising conversation before them. Ron silently agreed with his sister. Neville was going overboard with his references to his grandmother. Harry decided upon an outcome that would not only put Neville's mind at ease but everyone else's metal state too.

"Why don't you go visit her?" Harry asked Neville as if this were an obvious choice.

"Harry, are you mental?!" Ron started. "What if Harvey goes after him? He stands no chance at fighting at all! No offense or anything, Nev." Neville just shrugged it off. He had been called worse things before. Not by Ron, of course.

"We don't even know if Harvey knows where we are." Harry retorted calmly.

"And if he does?" Ginny asked from her position on the floor, feet stretched out before her.

"He won't attack Neville." Harry said in confidence.

"He won't?" Harry detected a hint of relief in Neville's voice.

"He's after Ron, not you. But you would have to be quick. The longer you stay out the more suspicious it would seem to Harvey and his men. Just check up on her and get back here as soon as possible." Harry spoke and went back to the papers on his lap. Neville grinned and proceeded to the front door.

"I'll be quick. There and back again. Wish me luck." He called out from the other room.

"This is Neville we're talking about. He's going to need all the luck in the world."

Ron answered while he scribbled ideas down on pieces of paper.

* * *

Neville appeared three blocks away from where he wanted to be but that didn't dampen his mood. _At least I'm in one piece_ he thought. His spirit left him the instant he saw his grandmother's house.

The brick exterior was burnt and there was thick grey smoke seething out of the second storey. Neville withdrew his wand and sprinted into the cottage in a hurry, screaming out for his Gran. He heard footsteps shuffling upstairs. With the thought of his grandmother in danger running through head he didn't think twice about the possible dangers that could be lurking in the smoking house.

The further up the stairs he went the thicker the smoke became. At this moment in time he didn't care about his own safety. He remained focused; get Gran and get out before this house collapses. Using his shirt to cover his mouth to prevent smoke damage to his lungs and his head down he reached the top of the stairs. Without pause he jumped in front of the door of the first room. Nothing. Just heavy smoke. He cautiously crept along the smoky corridor. He saw the blaze coming from the room on his right. As he approached he heard muffled sounds from the room opposite the flames.

"Gran!" Neville shouted, his voice hoarse from the smoke. He began to choke. He doubled over from discomfort. He entered the room of the muffled voices bent forward. He made it to the room and was able to stand. This room wasn't as thick with smoke as the others. The room was still filled with smoke but it was thin enough to see the figures within it. Upon entering Neville looked up to see his grandmother in the clutches of Kurt Harvey.

"Get the boy! Quick!" Harvey yelled. The blaze from the fire was growing and the sounds of the whipping flames were loud. Neville tried to focus his cloudy vision through watering eyes. He raised his head to see Harvey standing there with his arm around his gran. Men appeared on either side of Neville and grabbed his arms forcing him to his knees. The smoke was now becoming thicker, making Neville's eyes burn.

"Gran." Neville whimpered in defeat as Harvey came forward with his grandmother firm in his clasp.

"Let me go, you slimy git! I want my grandson! Neville!" Gran was straining against Harvey's hold. She shoved and pulled but Harvey was too strong. "I said let go or I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what?" Harvey hollered with laughter before spluttering on the smoke. "Wet your granny pants?"

"I'll bite your ear." Gran promised as she continued to struggle against Harvey.

"A Granny as sweet as you, my dear? You're too kind to – Oww!" Harvey bellowed as he unclasped Gran and brought his left hand to his ear. "She bit me! She really did!" He started stomping the ground in an attempt to stop the pain. He was so focused on his aching ear that he didn't even realise that he had let go of Gran. Gran starting hobbling over to Neville.

Neville, seeing his grandmother come closer got a spur of adrenaline. _Maybe there is a way out of this after all_. Neville used his elbows and jabbed them hard into the ribs of the men standing by his side. As they keeled over he noticed Harvey approaching him and Gran at a quick pace. "Gran. Take hold of my arm!" Without hesitation Gran clasped her hands tightly around Neville's right bicep. Neville's mind was racing now. He could barely apparate himself properly, he'd never thought he'd perform a side apparition. Ever. He saw Harvey closing in on them. He started focussing hard on what he needed to do. "Ok, I can do this. Think. Clear mind. Don't think. Mind clear. Focus." Harvey was right in front of them, wand raised, pointing directly at him.

"Any last words? Work with me here. Be original." Harvey spoke in his usual upbeat manner.

"Twist, twist, turn, kick, turn, twist," Neville began to act out his words while Harvey just stood there, blank face. "Kick, nod, bounce, twist, KICK!" With his last word Neville using all of his force, extended his leg and kicked Harvey directly in his sternum, sending Harvey bowling backwards.

Within seconds the smoky room before Neville's eyes vanished completely. He closed his eyes in an attempt to stop the dizziness as he willed himself not to throw up on Gran. As his feet found the ground below he realised that he and Gran were standing on the front porch of Grimmauld place. He turned to his grandmother, a smile clearly evident on her old fragile face. He beamed back at her. "Turn."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Harvey's ear was harmed during the making of this chapter. If anyone has seen Gran's dentures please inform me by reviewing this chapter.


	22. Ambush Today Bruised Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Besides the Harry Potter franchise, I also don't own a wolf. I love wolves. If I could own any wild animal I would probably own a wolf. Or a black leopard. I would ride my black leopard into battle and call upon my trusty wolf to disembowel my enemies.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 22: Ambush Today Bruised Tomorrow

When Neville entered Grimmauld Place with his grandmother the entire household was in an uproar. While Neville laid down on the couch in the drawing room collecting his thoughts and steadying his breath, Luna and Ginny went to assist Gran; making sure she was comfortable and leading her to a spare bed on the fourth landing for her to rest.

Ron contacted Kingsley to deal with the fire situation at Granny's house, but when the Aurors showed up, Harvey and his men were nowhere in sight. The Aurors contained the fire and altered the memories of the passing muggles. They also cleaned up the place by restoring the burnt house back into its original state and scenting the rooms with candles and aromas to flush out the smell of ash and smoke.

Harry was shocked at all the commotion and decided that it would be best if they all turned in and got some sleep. They would discuss these events in the morning.

It was the 1st of September and Neville was the first to wake. After the events that had occurred yesterday he'd gotten very little sleep. He tottered from his bed on the third landing down to the same couch he was seated on yesterday. He laid out on the couch waiting for the others to join. Harry was next, now that Hermione wasn't with them he really needed to step up his game. He would get down to this and find out why Harvey was at Gran's house.

By 9:00 a.m. everyone was sitting in the drawing room. Some had taken a little more coaching to wake; Fred and George. Neville sat up and allowed Luna and Gran to sit beside him while they all discussed the latest death threats on the League.

"I told you! I went to get Gran, next thing you know Harvey was there." Neville retold his side of the story yet again.

"Now wait, when you say 'Harvey was there', do you mean he just appeared or he was there waiting for you?" Ginny asked trying to get Neville to be as specific as possible.

"He had to be waiting for him. Harvey wouldn't go after Gran without having a plan." Harry responded before Neville could open his mouth.

"How did Kurt Harvey get inside the house in the first place?" Luna asked in her melodic voice.

Gran leaned forward from her spot on the couch thinking it would help project her voice. "I have no idea. I was in my room when I smelt smoke. I went to go see what had caused it when that awful, awful man came up from behind me and grabbed me. It was only when my Neville showed up that I managed to get away from him."

"How did he know Neville would show up?" Ron asked to the room hoping that someone there would have the answer.

"Maybe he didn't. It could have been pot luck." Neville added to the conversation.

"Pfft. Please. He wanted Neville. Why? I have no idea." Fred spoke for the first time.

"Yeah, it's a mystery. Who would want to go after Neville when they could go after someone like Ron?" George chimed in after hearing what his twin had to say.

"That's it!" Harry said energetically as he sat on the edge of his seat.

"That's it, what?" Ginny asked after a long pause, snapping Harry back to his thoughts.

"That's it." He repeated once more.

"You've said that, boy." Gran spoke from the other side of Neville.

"Don't you see it?!" Harry said now standing in front of the armchair he'd been occupying.

"If we saw it, we wouldn't be asking now would we?" Fred spoke again from his position on the ground.

Harry looked at the others then proceeded to explain his revelation to the remaining Dragon League. "Harvey's main goal is to take out Ron and Hermione-"

"Right." Said Fred.

"We got that much." George added.

"—He's tried many times to take them out while they have been in our company." Harry continued.

"Yes, we know." George stated.

"We were there." Fred agreed.

"Shh! Let him speak." Ginny shushed her brothers by throwing a pillow at them. Fred and George fought over the pillow before Fred yanked it from George's grasp and slid it under his bottom. Fred smiled at George as he let out a generous fart. George just laughed and scooted away from Fred.

"What if he's taking the coward's way out?" Harry proposed to the Dragon League, taking no notice of the smell coming from Fred's direction.

"Coward's way out?" Neville questioned.

"Quiet, Neville. Let the boy speak." Gran spoke, patting Neville on the back.

"He's trying to pick us off one by one." Finally Harry had said what he wanted to say. He stepped to the side and watched the faces of his fellow friends as they began to comprehend his words.

"And he's starting with the weakest." Ginny spoke before realising that she had openly insulted Neville. "Sorry. I didn't mean any offense by that."

"None taken. Looking around I can see that my grandson is most likely to be the weakest one here." Gran admitted with a warm reassuring smile towards Neville who just sat there staring at her.

"But Kurt Harvey didn't get to Neville. Does that mean he'll try again?" Luna asked as she patted Neville on the back to comfort him from his latest blow.

"Yes. But it won't be Neville. Not this time. Harvey went for Neville and couldn't get him. So he'll move on to the next victim." Harry said as he paced around the others.

"Ok, so who's the next weakest one here?" Ron asked the Dragon League knowing full well that the answer wasn't going to be his name.

"Besides Granny-Bottom, of course." Fred said as he pulled the pillow out from underneath him and gave it a good sniff. He scrunched up his face in revulsion and chucked the pillow back at Ginny.

"Granny-Bottom?" Ginny repeated as she hit the oncoming pillow away from her. The pillow landed at Gran's feet. She picked it up and placed it gently on her lap oblivious to the smell that it emitting.

"Yeah, it's a pet name we gave to Neville's Grandmother." George said. "You see, 'Granny Longbottom' was too long and 'Neville's Grandmother' isn't catchy enough. So it came down to 'Granny-Bottom'."

"Can we please get back on track?" Ron suggested.

"I believe that _I_ am the answer to your question, Ronald Weasley." Luna hummed in a, somewhat, cheerful tone.

"But Harvey doesn't know where you are, does he?" Neville turned to face Luna, her pale face was sweet and calm.

"How could he possibly know? I mean, when Harry, Hermione and I were on the run from Vol… Voldemort… We were here for weeks on end and nobody found us." Ron mused amongst the Dragon League.

"Ron's right. But this time we want Luna to be found." Harry spoke. Suddenly the small sounds of gossip ceased and every eye was on Harry.

"Are you mental?!" Fred exclaimed loudly at the same time his twin boomed, "You've gone bonkers!"

"No, I haven't. Bear with me for a moment." Harry responded, quite fed up that the twins failed to see his view point.

"We're going to use Luna as bait." Ginny answered before Harry could reply. Harry, though happy that someone saw his plan, just stood there, mouth agape in shock.

"Close your mouth, Harry. You're not that hard to follow." She responded upon seeing the comical look on his face.

"So what are we going to do? Just throw Luna out on the street and wait for Harvey to come to us? We can't do that to her!" Neville said, his voice starting to rise with concern. No one but Ginny had noticed how much Neville cared for Luna. He always made sure she was included in group discussions and he made sure she never felt isolated.

"Calm down, Nev. She'll be added to our ambush plan. She'll just be the bait to get Harvey out of hiding." Ron spoke calmly trying to soothe his friend's anxiety.

"But she can't go by herself! That won't work." Neville said, a lot calmer now.

"She won't go by herself. I'm sure Fred and George can put on an enticing display." Ginny grinned at her twin brothers.

The twins smile broadly, "We need time to rehearse."

* * *

It was mid-morning on the 19th of September. The Burrow was quiet and a lot more boring since the others went into hiding. Hermione was currently rummaging through her high piles of books searching for any clues that would be of assistance in the destruction of Harvey. She knew she was meant to be searching for something specific but she was having trouble concentrating. It must be the pregnancy.

 _What was it again? Think, Hermione, think. Uh,… Smoke. That's right. Now which book did I see that in? Was it this one, or this one? Maybe it was that book over there. It has to be. Now, what was I looking for again?_

Hermione rubbed her temples in a strained attempt to keep focused. She began to think of the others; how were they going, what they were doing, how much they had accomplished. She missed Ron. They had spent the majority of last year in close proximity chasing after Voldemort, and now with Harvey's threats driving them apart, she found herself craving Ron's closeness once more. Their last conversation before he left hadn't gone the way she had planned. She'd wanted to kiss him once more to show him how much she loved him no matter what the circumstances were. She'd wanted to go with him, even if she wasn't allowed to do anything extreme, she'd just yearned for him. But no matter how much she'd desired to kiss him that day, she hadn't been able to bring herself to stand in his smoky presence. Ron had been attacked by Harvey and his clothes had borne Harvey's smoky mark. It nauseated her. Smoke. That was what she was searching for now. Anything to do with the smell of burning ash and smoke.

Molly was in the kitchen downstairs. She was preparing a small cake unbeknownst to Hermione. The cake, although small, was plastered with an array of different coloured icing. Deep blue icing around the base of the cake merging into a nice soft green changing again to a soft lemon yellow then into orange, then pink, ending with bright red on top. Each colour contained a different flavour. Molly placed the last candle on the cake and stepped back to marvel at her creation.

Arthur came through the back door and saw his wife standing there staring at the kitchen bench. He followed her gaze to the amazing dessert. His face lit up and he rubbed his hands together. Licking his lips he proceeded to the bench. He reached out his hand, forefinger extended. Molly reached him before he touched the cake.

"Don't you dare!" Molly exclaimed. "It's not for you."

"Why not?" Arthur grumbled as he was shuffled out of the kitchen and away from the cake.

"It's for Hermione."

Realisation dawned on him. A broad smile spread across his face. "Ah, a birthday cake then."

"Of course it's a birthday cake, Arthur. It has candles on it."

"That cupcake you gave me last night had a candle on it and it wasn't my birthday. Although, at one moment I thought it was." Arthur smirked. Molly just sighed loudly and picked up the cake before heading towards the stairs. Arthur fell in behind her.

"Poor thing. She hasn't given herself a break since the others left. She's pushing herself too much." Molly shared as they ascended the staircase. As they came closer to Hermione's door they heard Hermione groan as the sound of another book slamming shut radiated down the staircase.

"Well, I think a cake is a very good way to unwind." Molly stopped in her tracks and turned to see Arthur standing on the step below her, looking up with a smile.

"I don't want to hear you making any comments about last night. Hermione is under a lot of stress as it is." She exhaled before reaching the top of the staircase and striding towards Hermione's room.

Hermione turned in the direction of the door when she heard a sequence of soft knocks. She looked back down at her bed, covered in piles and piles of books, wondering if it was worth trying to pack away the mess before letting people see her messy quarters. She decided against cleaning up. She came to the conclusion that it was not worth cleaning up the books. She knew if she packed the books away she would have to start her quest all over again later.

She reached the door and opened it for the two people waiting eagerly on the other side. "I'm sorry about the mess. I'm currently working on -"

"—Happy Birthday, Hermione!" Molly and Arthur hollered in unison together, startling Hermione that she actually jumped a little.

"Birthday?—Oh, goodness. I… I… I hadn't realised." She confessed as she found a sudden interest in her fingers. She refused to look the others in the eye. They had gone to the trouble to create a cake and here she was hiding away in her room unable to remember that she even had a birthday.

Molly, upon seeing Hermione's face, passed the cake to Arthur and cleared a little spot on the side of Hermione's bed. Hermione watched Molly like a hawk; where she was placing the books, how many she had removed, all while trying to remember if she'd read them. "Hermione, dear, take a seat." Molly stated whilst patting the small empty space she had cleared beside her. Hermione sat down cautiously, she didn't want to disturb the piles of books around her.

Arthur stood at the foot of the bed, eyeing the cake in his hands longingly. Molly sighed before talking, "Hermione, you need to take care of yourself." Hermione found interest in her fingers once more. "It's not healthy for you to trap yourself up here for so long. You need to leave this room, go outside and enjoy the sunshine. And looking at you, I think your baby would agree with me when I say that that you need to eat more." Molly said as she looked at the half eaten sandwich on the bed side table. It was currently on top of a large leaning tower of books.

"I know." Hermione squeaked quietly. "It's just that I've been so busy trying to find-"

"No excuses, Missy." Molly sternly interrupted. "Whatever it is you're searching for couldn't possibly be more important than your own child's welfare."

Hermione contemplated what she had heard before replying, "What I'm searching for has something to do with Harvey. Once I find out what it is we have a better chance of defeating him." She calmly answered.

"I understand that Harvey is a major threat to everyone at the moment, but are you really willing to risk the life of your child to get answers? Hermione, dear, it could be weeks before you get any information… your child needs you now."

Hermione didn't understand why she had begun to tear up. She hated being confronted for doing something wrong, but she wouldn't normally cry about it. Could this possibly just be pregnancy hormones? She was afraid if she tried to speak, her voice would crack and she would fall apart, so instead she opted for a silent nod.

Molly saw a small tear escape her eye and she immediately felt guilty for making her son's fiancé cry. However, she also knew pregnancy does strange things to a mother's hormonal balance. She securely fastened Hermione in a strong side hug and kissed her firmly on the forehead in a motherly way. "I'm sorry, for being strict on you, but… this is my grandchild. I want both of you to be healthy."

At this Hermione couldn't help but laugh. She wiped away the fresh tears with the back on her hands and broke the hug but she couldn't stop laughing. Molly looked over at Arthur at the end of the bed and shrugged. He looked over at Hermione then back to the cake in his hands in confusion. Finally Hermione's laughing subsided enough for her to say, "You want us to be healthy?" Molly only nodded in confusion which made Hermione laugh again. "So am I to assume that my birthday cake is healthy enough for consumption?" she said as she laughed again. Her laughter was highly contagious and soon both Molly and Arthur were laughing too.

The laughter resonated up the staircase until it reached the ears of a ginger cat, curled into a ball, sleeping quietly outside of Ron's door. Crookshanks head propped up at the sound of his owner's laughter, he hadn't heard her sound this happy for a long time. _Maybe that pesky ginger haired boy is back_. _He did seem to make her happy… sometimes_. He made his way into Hermione's room and made himself known by meowing quite loudly. The sound scared Arthur so much that he almost dropped the cake on the cat. Arthur swerved and adjusted his arms in an attempt to keep the cake on the plate.

Hermione reached down and picked up the cat while Molly scolded Arthur for ruining the cake. The cake was not _entirely_ ruined. Although, the red icing that was once neatly spread across the top surface of the cake was now running down the sides of the cake. "Oh, dear. It's melting." Molly sighed as she watched her masterpiece get slowly engulfed by the cherry red icing.

Arthur only smiled. "Well, there's no time like the present to clean this up. Let's eat this thing before it explodes."

Hermione mused on Arthur's choice of words before slowly repeating them, "Explodes."

"Yes, explodes." Arthur confirmed. "Because of the red icing. It's melting which makes the cake look like-"

"A volcano." Hermione finished his sentence with wide eyes. Molly and Arthur looked at her. Molly thought she was going to be sick but Hermione quickly asserted that she wasn't. She pushed Crookshanks off of her lap and scurried around to the other side of the bed searching for one particular book. She found what it was she wanted and held it up for the others to see. It was a large, old, green felt book with large silver engraved letters that read; _Volcanos of the World: The Angry Pimples on Earth's Face._

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No cakes were destroyed during the making of this chapter. If you review this chapter I will send you a slice of Hermione's birthday cake in the post. Just remember: There's no post on Sundays.


	23. Bruised Today Beaten Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and I don't own a pair of reading glasses. My mum owns a pair of reading glasses. I do not need reading glasses. If I needed them I'm sure I would have a pair of my own. But I do not need reading glasses therefore I do not have a pair of reading glasses.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 23: Bruised Today Beaten Tomorrow

It had been exactly 10 weeks since Hermione had had her 19th birthday without him. Ron had desperately wanted to head back to the Burrow on that day and surprise her. However, after what had happened with Neville and his Gran, he knew it was too risky. Gran had been officially dubbed "Granny-Bottom" which was the name given to her by the twins. She was quite fond of the humorous nickname, it made her feel like part of the group. It didn't last long though. After laying low for quite some time "Granny-Bottom" saw fit to remove her presence from the Dragon League so that the team could focus on Harvey.

But Ron wasn't focusing on Harvey. His mind was on Hermione. He really missed her. He wanted to see her again, to kiss her lips, to run his fingers through her hair and to feel their baby kick from within her.

"Focus Ron." Harry whispered harshly from beside him. They were currently lying dormant in a large, itchy thicket. "Today is the best chance we have at getting Harvey for good."

"I know," Ron responded then sighed so softly that Harry only just managed to hear him. Harry stared patiently at his best mate, "30 weeks today." Ron smirked.

"What?—oh. The Baby. Right." Harry found this sudden conversation extremely awkward; he was in close proximity to his best friend who was swooning over the fact that his girlfriend, uh, I mean, fiancé, was knocked up 30 weeks ago. This same girl who he saw as a sister. If they were not currently cramped under a blanket of dead vines it wouldn't seem so bad, but the fact was that they were… and it was awkward.

Ron, sensing Harry's unease decided to quickly change the subject. "So, ah, do you think this will work? I mean, do you think he'll fall for it?" Ron asked in hushed tones.

"He, himself, seems dumb enough to fall for it. But if his men have had any kind of influence over him, we could be in trouble." Harry responded, just as quietly. "There's Luna." Harry spoke as he caught sight of Luna, down the snow covered hill, wearing a bright yellow winter dress, near the entrance to the Shrieking Shack.

Ron thought back to his third year of Hogwarts. He and Hermione were not too far from here; examining the Shrieking Shack from a safe distance.

It was Saturday the 28th of November and the ground was sheltered by white snow. The snow from the sky was continuing to fall upon them. Luna stood in the small white clearing that was surrounded by snow covered hills. One of the hills occupied Harry and Ron, but you couldn't see them at all because of the natural dead foliage which concealed them.

The Shrieking Shack was stationed not too far from where Luna was standing. It, too, was plastered in the white snow; rickety beams of rotten wood sticking out from all angles. The exterior wooden walls of the Shack peered out from below the snow covered unstable roof.

The twins soon appeared on the scene. One of them was carrying what looked like a heavy potato sack. They seemed to have come from the direction of Hogsmeade, every couple of steps they would pause and suspiciously look over their shoulder before continuing. When they reached to where Luna was waiting patiently, they noticed her swinging the hem of her yellow dress. The twins dropped the heavy sack at their feet before folding their arms across their chest.

Harry and Ron lifted their head slightly to see Neville appear on the hill opposite theirs. They saw him raise both of his thumbs in a sign of affirmation before he ducked under the shrubs where Ginny was stationed.

Ron and Harry returned to their previous positions and strained their ears to hear the conversation taking place between Luna and the twins.

"We have what you want." Fred started the conversation.

"Wild fire Whiz-bangs, Ton Tongue Toffee, Dungbombs- " George started to rattle off the merchandise that was hidden in the sack at their feet.

"—Did you get the Bombtastic Bomb?" She asked before George could finish his list.

"It's all here." The twins chimed together.

Suddenly, numerous loud pops echoed around the area and Luna and the twins were surrounded by several of Harvey's men.

Within seconds wands were pulled out and spells were cast in every direction. Luckily, the last couple of weeks had prepared the twins and Luna for this occasion. They were quick to pull out their wands and duck out of the line of fire.

"Take that, you jerk!" George yelled out over the sounds of exploding spells. He pulled out a Dungbomb from within the hessian sack that was now held over his shoulder. The Dungbomb was thrown into the air and came to a smelly halt as it hit the perpetrator in the small of his back, sending the guy to the ground.

Luna and the twins were slowly being forced apart. It was only when Fred reached the entrance of the Shrieking Shack that he realised just how far apart they had become. He looked over his left shoulder to get a quick glance at where the other two were. Luna was farther from him than George. Another couple of curses were fired from his wand, sending another one of Harvey's men to fall into the snow below. Dead. _Finally_. Not a moment too soon and Fred was being advanced upon by another man. While reflecting the curses of the vengeful man, he turned to George once more. "Georgie! I've got a live one here!"

George paused briefly to slide the heavy sack off his shoulder. He reached in and pulled out the first thing he grasped. Using his right hand he flicked a jinx in the direction of his opponent while he grabbed the Ton Tongue Toffee in his left. He chuckled to himself as he got his brother's attention and threw him the candy.

Fred caught it just as the vengeful man approached arms distance. Upon realising what he had caught he lowered his wand and raised the toffee. Fred drew his left hand back, then quickly thrust it forward until the toffee came in contact with the man's face. The man stumbled back only slightly before continuing on towards Fred.

When the man looked up to meet Fred's goofy smirk, he knew something was not right. Almost instantly he felt his tongue expand and swell at an enormous rate. Unable to contain it, the man's tongue burst through his lips, which were trying hard to keep his tongue inside his mouth. The man attempted to ignore his growing tongue but ended up tripping over it on multiple occasions. He couldn't go further than a couple of steps before stumbling over it again. By the time he found his footing, Fred had already left to find another victim.

"Where is Harvey?" Ron asked quietly from under the shrubs.

"I don't know." Harry answered truthfully. Harvey's men were there, but Harvey was nowhere to be found. The sight before them was hard to bear. Their plan was to stay hidden until Harvey showed his face, only then would they enforce the ambush. "They need help down there."

"They're fine. The twins are loving it." Ron responded a little too calmly.

"What about Luna? I'm pretty sure she's not 'loving it'." Harry said a little too firmly.

"Relax. Once Harvey shows we can help."

"They're my friends, Ron. They need help and I can't just sit here watching them struggle when I know I can help them." Harry was getting anxious now; his voice had risen above hushed tones and his body was tense. His concern was very apparent in his tone of voice. His sternness shocked Ron. He hadn't been like this since the fall of Voldemort. Ron was somewhat speechless and a little bit worried.

"I know you can help them. I know that. But the best way to help them at the moment is to wait for Harvey." Ron replied in a composed voice.

Harry didn't know what came over him. _Did I just snap at Ron? What was that all about?_ Harry shook his head to try and refocus himself. There was a lot pending on this mission. Why couldn't he focus? "I'm sorry, Ron. It's just that I can't keep focused."

Ron chuckled a little, "This is coming from the guy who was telling me to be focused."

"But I was focused back then." Harry said in all seriousness. His gaze was on the battle below but his thoughts were elsewhere. Why was it so hard to focus? It was getting worse. "I feel like I'm suffocating."

Ron just looked at him weirdly. "What the bloody hell are you on about?" Ron asked as if he had completely forgotten what they were talking about. Ron's mind was going hazy too. _What were we talking about? Oh yeah, focusing_. "Suffocating, huh? Like what you do in a fire?" Ron inquired in a calmer voice.

"Actually, it's the smoke you suffocate from." Harry answered. The topic of suffocation made the boys feel claustrophobic under the small shrub. They simultaneously drew in a breath to keep themselves calm. "Is it me, or do you actually smell smoke?" Harry asked after exhaling slowly.

Ron breathed in again to confirm or deny his friends theory. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, it does. Maybe that's why you're unfocused?"

"Only it's much stronger now than what it was before."

Ron immediately stiffened at his friend's latest phrase. Harry noticed the change in Ron's posture and laid dead still. Harry, frightened of what was happening, mouthed, "What is it?"

Ron, lost in his thoughts, spoke aloud, "Harvey."

"Don't tell me you can hear me?" Came a voice from behind the shrub the boys were hiding in. "I thought I was doing really well."

Instantly both boys sprung up from their positions, somewhat tangled in dead vines, and turned to face Harvey. Harvey, along with Yollander, waited until the boys had got their footing and brushed off the excess shrub.

"Before we start, I just have one question. How did you know I was there?" Harvey questioned. Yollander just stood there, his long sharp facial features staring in disbelief at his boss. "What? I want to know?"

Harry glanced over at Ron. Ron looked back at Harry and just shrugged. "We…We smelt you." Harry stammered.

"Still? No matter how many times I wash these clothes…That rosy soap is just not cutting it…" Harvey paused mid-sentence and looked over at Yollander who was still gazing at him. "Never mind. That can wait." Harvey reached for his wand, but Harry and Ron were quicker. Already aware of Harvey's actions, they had their wands at the ready. Yollander fired first. The spell soared through the air only to be skilfully deflected by Harry.

The battle became heated and after a while Ron and Harry found themselves getting more and more outnumbered by Harvey and his men. "They have reinforcements!" Harry cried out over the deafening noises of the battle.

"I know. They must have ambushed our ambush." Ron called out in response to Harry.

"We need a barricade to shield us from Harvey's men. There's too many of them to fight off." Harry said after killing off a guy. Harry had made a run for it in Ron's direction.

"We could use the Shrieking Shack." Ron said and looked towards the entrance.

"Brilliant." Harry and Ron slowly made their way into the shelter of the Shack, guiding Harvey's men into their lair.

The inside of the Shack was dark but dry. The walls were creaking under the pressure of the snow and the smell of rotting wood filled the room like a thick fog. Harry made a dart towards the rickety staircase. Ron followed suit, using the railing on the second floor as a barricade.

Harvey's men piled into the room. They stood slightly dazed as they scoped the place for their desired targets. They looked up to see their prey peering out from over the railing. Spells exploded from all directions.

Ron reached over the railing, aimed for the biggest guy, and fired a simple spell. The fluorescent blue spell hit the big guy with so much energy that he was thrown off of his feet in an instant. His body hurled through the air before hitting the wall behind him. The big guy fell to the ground with an echoing thud, his lifeless form lay among the rubble.

The wall shook from the force of the big guy's body. All fighting momentarily paused as all faces turned to watch the wall give way. The snow from outside rampaged in through the side. Just as the battle was about to continue, a deafening crack boomed from above. Feet scurried and panicked screams were heard as the roof of the shack started to give cave in.

Harry grabbed Ron by his long jacket and hauled him out of harm's way and into a familiar room on their right. The room was exactly like it was when they first entered it 4 years ago. Ron made his way over to the broken bed while Harry stayed by the door watching the roof in the hallway break away.

Ron's mind reminisced on the time when he first laid eyes on the notorious Sirius Black. His hands clasped around the rat, once a man who had betrayed his friends. Ron's thoughts changed to the present, he had grown up quite a lot since that fateful day. Although still immature he was proud of how far he had come.

Harry watched as the roof of the shack broke down before him. Long heavy beams crumpled to the floor in minutes. A strained snap echoed above his head, yet the reaction time between the falling of the beam and his escape was slow. Harry jumped back towards the room a moment too late. The heavy beam tumble down pinning his leg to the floor. Harry let out a defined yelp as the beam came in contact with his ankle.

Ron's memories ended abruptly as the sound of Harry's yelp reached his conscious. Ron was up in flash to assist his friend. He was half way to him when another blow from above sounded. Ron staggered backwards out of the way of the falling roof. The caving beams had started a chain reaction on the old frame of the Shack.

"Harry!" Ron bellowed from behind the newly fallen beams. "Harry! Are you ok?"

"My ankles caught under the beam." Harry strained as he attempted to pry the ankle out from under the heavy log. "The beam is too heavy to move."

Ron knew he had the strength to free his friend. He had to get to him before the others did. Unfortunately for them their panicked conversation alerted Harvey's men to their predicament.

Harvey watched from a short distance as the Shack collapsed before him. He smiled maliciously before deciding to finish the two boys off once and for all.

Ron looked at the pile of collapsed beams before him and tried to find the best route to take. Most pathways ended with a massive log blocking his trail. "I can't get to you!" Ron cried out over the sound of the Shrieking Shack (more like 'The Dying Shack').

"You might not be able to get to him, but I can." Harvey snarled deeply, his voice now feral and full with rich determination. Harvey made his way up the broken staircase. He could see Harry's struggling form only metres away from him.

Upon hearing Harvey's vicious voice, Ron freaked out, rapidly seeking out the best path to take to get to his friend. Then he spotted it; to the right a beam had fallen perfectly. Its long frame was tilted on a 45 degree angle making into a rickety ramp.

"I'm coming, Harry!" Ron yelled loudly as he raced for the beam. He stood before it and a quick memory of him falling of metal beams surrounded his mind. He remembered how it felt to have his balls squashed into the metal beam and how long it taken for him to recover. He glanced down at the rotting wood; long shards of sharp wood splintered out from every direction. Ron whimpered.

"Ron, where are you?!" Harry bellowed.

"I'm coming!" Ron screamed back at him out of anxiousness. Ron drew in a quick deep breath and clasped both hands over his balls before running up the incline of the fallen beam. He almost slipped a couple of times but managed to regain his footing. He jumped from one beam to the other, most of them crumpled under his weight. He got higher and higher before he realised he had to make a final jump from the beam he was currently on to a beam that was elevated slightly higher than his. That beam would then lead him directly to Harry.

Ron looked at the elevated beam before him, then to Harry who was on his stomach looking up at him, then to the doorway, where he saw Harvey standing, rage and excitement full on his face.

Harvey stepped forward into the room, unaware of Ron looming above him. "I'm here!" Harvey chorused in glee as he raised his wand about to strike young wizard lying before him.

"So am I." Came a strong, powerful voice from above. Harvey glance up in time to get a boot to the face. Ron landed awkwardly; his body crushed Harvey to the ground, his feet either side of his head, his red flaming hair near Harvey's groin. Harvey groaned beneath Ron. Ron, realising Harvey was still conscious, brought his fists together and rammed them into Harvey's _special_ place. A loud wail of pain filled the room and Ron dismounted his enemy. He came to Harry's side and lifted the beam up far enough for Harry to extract the swollen foot.

"That doesn't look good." Ron mentioned as he saw the purple bruise already beginning to form.

"Trust me, it feels better than what it looks." Harry responded. The Shack began to creak loudly again. "Let's get out of here."

The two made their way outside and were taken aback at the sight before them. Harvey's men were everywhere. Some had cornered the twins and extracted the bag of magical devices. Others were still fighting against Neville, Ginny and Luna. Harvey's men looked to them and surrounded them in seconds. Ron felt his blood pumping faster with his unknown power. He wanted to let go and let his power run its course. Then he thought better of it. _There is no way I can promise that I won't hurt the Dragon League_ he thought to himself.

His chest deflated in defeat. He couldn't save his friends even with the amount of power he brandished.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Ron's balls were not harmed during the making of this chapter. Yay! Good for you, Ronald! Harvey on the other hand… His balls were harmed during the making of this chapter. But that's ok because he's the bad guy. Let me know if Harvey deserved being smashed in his _special_ place by reviewing this chapter.


	24. Beaten Today Broken Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry and I don't own a pool. If I had a pool I would fill it up with green dye and swim in it. Then when I come out of the pool I would run around the house and fight anyone who crosses my path, and when they ask me why I did it, I will answer "I'm a Guardian of the Galaxy!"

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 24: Beaten Today Broken Tomorrow

Harvey had made his way out of the rubble of the Shrieking Shack and came to stand with his men who had surrounded Harry and Ron. Ron smirked to himself when he noticed the obvious hobble Harvey had acquired since their last meeting.

The men stepped closer to Harry and Ron. Their wands were raised and ready, awaiting their leaders command. Harvey was about to speak when several popping sounds echoed around the bowl of snow they were currently in.

"What was that?" Neville questioned, looking to Ginny and Luna for an answer. They just shrugged.

On the top of the snow covered hill, where Harry and Ron had been hiding, was a large figure. Their stance was confident and strong.

All heads simultaneously lifted to the direction of this new threat. Harvey sighed, "Excuse me, do you mind, we're kind of in the middle of a… meeting." He spoke, his proper British accent, accentuating the word _meeting_.

The large figure whipped out their wand and flashed a spell in Harvey's direction. Harvey managed to stagger out of the way of the spell. Luna exclaimed excitedly, "We have a friend!"

George, upon hearing Luna's statement called, "Welcome friend! Do you come bearing gifts?"

The figure on the hill turned and looked away. "Now, look what you did!" Fred pushed his twin, "You do this every time! No wonder you don't have friends!"

"I have you." George countered.

"I'm your brother. That doesn't make me your friend."

The figure returned to the hillside with more figures in tow. Harvey was stumped. Fred looked at his twin. "Come here, friend!" he cackled as he hugged his brother dearly. One of the figures was short and because they were so far off in the distance they couldn't make out who they were. Although, the smaller one looked remarkably like a female.

Fred wolf-whistled in the direction of the short lady. The whistle broke everyone's gaze and soon the fight was back in action. The new figures raced down the hill toward the battle. Ron stopped and glared in the direction of the figures. He strained his eyes to discern the large figure still standing stationary at the top of the hill. The thing that drew his attention was the noticeable bulge of belly the figure had.

"Hermione! It's Hermione!" Ron yelled in giddiness as realisation hit him. She had found him. She'd known they were in trouble and she'd known to bring back up. Now one question remained, who was their backup?

In a flash of purple and blue, a dark shape crossed Ron's vision. Ron turned to see a tall, dark handsome man looking back at him. "You're one damn lucky fool, Weasley." His deep, velveted English accent filled his ears.

"Kingsley?" Ron questioned as he stared at the Minister.

"That's right." He spoke.

"How did you get here?" Ron asked quickly, knowing they were both needed in battle.

"Picked up some style from Dumbledore." He smiled widely before vanishing into the battle. Ron followed suit.

Fred and George were fighting back to back when they saw the short figure before them. Her back was turned towards the boys and George nudged his brother and used his wand to point in the direction of the woman. "There's your girlfriend." George stated loudly over the sounds of spells being fired in the background.

The woman turned to face them upon hearing George's voice. Her familiar facial features almost made Fred want to vomit in disgust.

"Sorry, boys, I'm taken." She smiled and patted her sons on the cheek before dispersing into the ever growing crowd of chaos.

"That's gross." George spoke in utter disgust, "You wolf-whistled at Mum." He added for extra effect.

"I was practising my bird calls, and you know it." Fred answered quickly before leaving the conversation to re-join the battle.

It was deep into the night when Charles Memphis, an Auror of 12 years cast a curse that Kurt Harvey failed to dodge. Harvey was hit on the lower left side of his back. He flinched in shock and yelped in pain before tumbling forward into the cold snow below him.

Charles Memphis was a heavy built man with biceps the size of an average soccer ball. His skin was a creamy brown and his face held strong sharp features. Pleased with his catch, he folded his arms in victory.

Charles Memphis was also the biggest of the group. He had enough brute force to take out a bear.

Harvey didn't even bother to stagger to his feet. Instead he waited, face down in the freezing snow for Yollander and Puff to hoist him out of his cold thoughts. Using Yollander as a cane, Harvey rapidly disappeared before any of the opposing team could blink. Upon noticing that their leader had vanished, Harvey's men disapparated from the battle field.

"Bugger! We nearly had them!" Arthur hollered over the dark sparse valley of snow.

The Dragon League took their time to thank Kingsley and his Aurors. They thought back to how close they were to death when Hermione had shown herself on the hill.

Hermione. Ron wiped the blood off of his hands using the clean snow on the ground. He stood from his crouching position and turned to find himself face to face with his beloved.

"You're so big, now!" Ron exclaimed as he marvelled at her growing belly. He ran both of his hands over her covered stomach, chuckling aloud when he felt the baby thump against his touch.

"Charming, Ronald. That is exactly what I need to hear now." Hermione's voice dripped with sarcasm yet her face held love and compassion.

"I didn't mean you look fat." Ron adjusted his sentence. Hermione's smile vanished and was instantly replace with her famous scowl. Ron saw the look on her face and began to stammer, "You're not fat. I never said fat. I just mean you… you're getting… You're pregnant for Merlin's sake, of course you're gonna look… big…" Hermione's face was still etched into a scowl. Ron couldn't help but beam. "Bloody Hell, 'Mione that face used to scare me but after all I've been through lately it just makes me smile."

This time it was Hermione's turn to falter as she took in her fiancé's words. She smiled at the realisation before frowning once more. "Ronald, don't swear in front of my child."

"It's my child, too." He beamed gleefully as his hands roamed over her bulge. "Ain't that right, little guy?" Ron asked and was taken back by surprise when Hermione's belly started to glow blue. Ron was wanting to scream but the cold night air mixed with his current state of shock rendered him speechless, his hands still on the belly. Next thing he knew he was rewarded with a very strong, hard jab from under his right palm.

He withdrew his hand from the belly to hold it tightly in his other hand. He rubbed his hand where the baby had kicked in an attempt to soothe the throbbing.

"What's his problem?!" Ron blurted out loudly earning a few good stares from the surrounding onlookers.

"She." Hermione responded frankly.

"What?" Ron questioned.

"You just insulted her."

"You mean…?" Ron paused his actions to stare directly into her eyes.

"She's a girl. You insinuated that she is a he. I don't think she took it well."

Ron instantly bent so that his face was in line with Hermione's womb. He leaned forward. "I'm sorry. I thought you were a boy." Ron was once again rewarded by the glowing blue of the belly before being struck hard upon the head, causing him to stumble backwards into the snow.

He got up as quickly as he was sent down. He clutched his head and got to his feet. "What the bloody Hell is that?!" He pointed at her abdomen. A look of terror and shock written upon his face.

"Stop swearing!" Hermione glowered, the blue glow appearing slightly once more.

"Ok, ok." Ron raised his hands in surrender. "Just tell me what it is."

" _It_ is a she. And _she_ is our baby." Hermione angrily pointed out. "The blue glow comes from her."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ron said as he rubbed his jaw where he had been struck. "Why, though?"

"I don't know why, per se, however, I believe that she is the reason for your powers." She spoke slowly willing Ron to comprehend. Ron looked from the tummy to his hands, back to the tummy. Hermione continued, "I found out a couple of days ago. I read many, _many_ books but there was very little on the supernatural abilities of infants during gestation or even after birth. There were bits and pieces on Raw Magic but that is an entirely different thing altogether." She ranted.

"Wh…Whoa, whoa, wait. She… is responsible for my powers?"

"Yes. She is also the reason why I can heal myself." Hermione spoke quietly.

"This is too… " Ron was overwhelmed. He couldn't think of what to say. Ron stepped away from her to look out at the snowy battleground and gather his thoughts.

"Umm…" Hermione started then paused. Ron turned his gaze back to her once more. She continued, "It's a force field."

"Hermione, for once in my life, please… make sense." Ron pleaded in desperation.

"The blue glow… it's a force field. That's why when Harvey tried to curse me at Potter Cottage it rebounded."

"Will it… She… be like this… after she's born?"

"I don't know." Hermione lowered her head, "Like I said before. I can't find anything on this type of magic. As far as I know, we're the first to experience something as extraordinary as this."

Ron rubbed his hands through his hair. "So you don't know if we'll stay like this?" Hermione just shook her head. "Right. So let me get this straight; first off, you get pregnant even though you had taken every precautionary action ever invented. Secondly, we get powers that aren't even written in books and she… is supposed to be the cause of it." Ron's voice was rising with every sentence. By the end Hermione eyes were brimming with tears.

"Ron, please." She whispered.

Ron stepped further away from Hermione. Then after a couple of minutes silence he turned to her again and embraced her in a fierce hug. She hiccoughed through soft sobs as he stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ron murmured soothingly into her hair as Hermione wiped her tears on Ron's jacket. "'Cause if I did, my little girl would kick my ass."

Hermione extracted herself from Ron's arms and swatted him hard on the arm. "Stop swearing!"

* * *

Harvey appeared with a 'pop' stirring up the dry, grey dust beneath him. He looked out over the vast grey desert of rock and ash. His men behind him were confused, scared and anxious. Puff was the first to step forward.

"Sir, I thought you said-" He started but was cut off by Harvey's threatening voice.

"—Shut up, Puff! I haven't slept in 6 days and I haven't had a proper meal in over a week. I'm also sick. I am sick, sick, _sick_ of your shit. And when I'm not sick, I'm tired. I'm sick and tired."

"Sir, I don't think you understand where we are and the consequ-" Yollander piped up from behind, being careful not to step outside of the boundary and risk being blown to bits.

"—I distinctly remember being put in charge of this group not you, Yollander." Harvey said before making the mistake of apparating to the mouth of the volcano. His men followed suit.

Harvey was welcomed by the familiar smell of troll boogies and giant manure. As he proceeded further into the volcano the coolness of the large room hit him. He exited the small tunnel and was greeted with the soft light of the large stone room. He opened his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

"Daddy!" The small voice came from the middle of the stone chiselled room. It echoed off the tall rock walls and filled the room. The young boy could be seen in the distance, he was smiling broadly and jumping up and down rapidly in excitement.

The sound of his son's voice awoke him from his trance in an instant. He realised where he was and what he had done. He glanced over at Puff and Yollander. Yollander looked solemn, he knew what was going to take place. Puff, on the other hand, was happy to be back. He had always complained when they were camping. He was never satisfied and he let everyone in the group know.

Harvey turned to run down the dark, wet tunnel through which he'd just come, but upon turning he was greeted with a tall, cloaked figure. He cowered slightly out of habit.

"Where is Weasley?" The hooded wizard asked, his voice seething evilness.

"I…I-" Harvey stammered.

"He is not in your company, so I will ask once more. Where is Weasley?!" Riddle bellowed. Harvey's tired eyes closed in defeat, his chest deflated and his legs nearly gave way, and yet he still hadn't answered his master.

"Hmm, Yollander!" Riddle yelled over Harvey's hung head. The sound rebounded off the rock walls. Yollander came before Riddle and bowed slightly out of admiration.

"You're Grace?" Yollander asked in a respectful tone.

"Take this man's son and do away with him." Riddle said off the bat.

"Sir, No!" Harvey said in panic. Yollander paused in his stride. Harvey's brain scrambled to gather any information that would be of assistance to Riddle and hopefully save his son from execution. "They have Aurors!" Harvey yelled as if in agony. The thought of his son being executed killed him inside. He couldn't control his emotions, his voice strained and cracked as he began to beg for his son's life.

"What did you say?" Riddle questioned.

"They have Aurors. From the ministry. They're strong and powerful. Please, just don't kill Sheth." Harvey bargained with tears rolling down his eyes.

"You returned without Weasley. You did something I told you exactly NOT to do. You must be punished." Riddle coolly stated.

"Then punish me! Not my boy! He's only three years old, for Merlin's sake!" Harvey began to yell. Upon hearing the yelling, Sheth stopped jumping in excitement and slowly sunk into the darkness and hid behind his stone chiselled chair once more.

"Yollander," Riddle began calmly, "Take the boy and banish him." Yollander swiftly moved over to the stone chair, picked up the three year old boy by the collar of his shirt and disapparated. Yollander reappeared after a couple of minutes alone. Before Harvey could respond, Riddle walked up to him. "Harvey you will stay here in chains. Perdicus will replace you as the new leader." Riddle then left, and Harvey fell to the ground in tears.

"Perdicus!" Riddle hollered out into the stone cave before him. Soon a tall, strong wizard, with mocha-coloured skin approached Riddle. His upper body was well built; his bulging muscle defining his shape well.

"Yes, my liege?" Perdicus' voice was deep and rich; filled with intimidation and power.

Riddle approached the muscular man. "You are the new leader now. Go alone. I don't want any more excuses." Riddle spoke with acid as his gaze fell on Arnold Puff. "I want Weasley destroyed. Oh, and if you come across Kurt Harvey's son… Kill him."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Sheth was not harmed during the making of this chapter. He was, however, scared and banished. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this young boy please review.


	25. Broken Today Fixed Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** Besides Harry Potter I don't own a Play Station of any kind, a Wii or any X-Box consoles. I am not a gamer. Something inside of me wants to be a gamer, but I'm too preoccupied with Fanfiction writing.

 **A/N:** More of young Sheth. He's cute. He's adorable. He's only three. So keep this in mind when you're trying to decipher what he's saying.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 25: Broken Today Fixed Tomorrow

Kingsley told the surviving Aurors to stand by and await orders from the Dragon League before leaving the snowy scene himself. He had plenty to worry about, being the Minister and all.

The Dragon League, along with Mr and Mrs Weasley, headed back to the Burrow to sleep off their soreness and stress. Two days passed before everyone had caught up on some much needed rest. The Dragon League made their way to the living room on the ground floor to plan out their next steps of action.

"For too long I've been parched with thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died." Fred droned on in a dramatic voice.

"Too long it has been since I last called you an idiot!" George laughed from beside him on the sofa. It, indeed, had been too long since the Dragon League had been at the Burrow. Not much had changed but the atmosphere was different. Mainly because the doom of Harvey lingered over their heads like a smoky cloud.

"Once again we have nothing." Ginny reported as she entered the room and sat herself down next to Harry, her hand subtly seeking his.

"We nearly had him." Neville commented.

"If someone says 'We nearly had him' one more time I'm gonna stupefy them." Ron spoke with a sigh of exacerbation.

"Wouldn't that kill us?" Luna questioned and all faces turned to gaze at her before timidly looking over at Ron who had covered his face with his large hands. When he removed his hands from his line of vision he saw the Dragon League just staring in shock at what he had previous said.

"I don't mean it like that! It's just… we don't have anything. Which means it's probably going to take another 3 weeks before we meet up with him again and to be honest I'm running out of so called 'Safe Houses'." Ron leant back against the sofa and stretched out his arms.

"That's not entirely true." The League heard Hermione's voice drift in from the adjacent room. She entered the living room holding a large green felt book. "After you left I made myself useful. I went through all of my books and if it wasn't for Arthur I wouldn't have found this." She said before slamming the book down on the coffee table in the middle of the room, making everyone jump.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It is a book, Harry. I thought you would've seen at least one during your time at Hogwarts." Luna responded in all seriousness, although her voice was song-like.

"I know it's a book, Luna. I meant, what did you find?" Harry restated.

"I remember Ron smelling like smoke. I got sick even at the memory of it. I'm ok now," She added as saw the look of distress on her fiancé's face, "One of the symptoms that comes with pregnancy is a heightened sense of smell."

"No offense, Hermione, but when we say 'We have nothing' we were actually referring to Harvey." Fred said obviously insinuating that Hermione should get to the point.

Hermione scowled at Fred then continued, "Being pregnant myself, I picked up on certain senses that no one else did."

"Like?" Neville asked, now lifting his head in her direction, fully alert and hopeful.

"Acid." Hermione replied.

"Acid?" Ron questioned.

"It's a substance with particular chemical properties including turning litmus red, neutralizing alkalis, and the dissolving of some metals." She retaliated.

"I know what it is!" Ron defended his intelligence.

"So I began searching. Searching for specific volcanoes that contain acid."

"Why volcanoes?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, why not… puddles?" George mused.

Hermione opened the book on the coffee table and extracted a long scroll. "Because it is in one of these volcanoes that the Philosophers Stone was destroyed."

"Whoa, what?!" Harry started at the mention of the stone.

"The Philosophers Stone held immorality. One of the only ways to destroy a significant item such as the stone is to use an acidity compound."

"So all this time Harvey's been hiding with Riddle in a volcano." Fred spoke once more.

"The problem is we don't know which volcano they're in." Hermione answered.

"How many are on the list?" Ron asked leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees.

Hermione picked up the long scroll and unravelled it. A long chorus of moans, groans and gasp filled the room. "1,351."

"Where do we start?" Neville asked with dismay.

"From the top." Hermione stated as she exhaled.

They had barely gathered around the coffee table when they heard a distanced pop from outside followed by some mumblings and then the occasional stifled yelp.

"Harvey." Harry stated the obvious as he stood to attention. The others followed his lead.

Hermione went to grab her wand from her belt, (The safety of her shoe was too far down for her to bend), but Ron was quick to stop her.

"Ron, please, let me go! I can handle myself!" Hermione called as the others passed her to see what the commotion was outside.

"Hermione, look at you! You're pregnant! Stop thinking that you can do everything you could before! The truth is you can't!" Ron raised his voice but stopped the moment he saw her dead panned face. He let out a shaky breath, "Hermione. I need you to keep her safe." He said motioning towards her bump. "I don't want her to be killed because of you." Ron's words were daggers in Hermione's ear. Was he really blaming her for her child's future?

 _Of course, I am the one to be blamed. She relies purely on me at the moment. If she were to die, I would be the one to blame_. Hermione thought and relaxed her posture. "I'll stay here. BUT… I will NOT stand by and watch my fiancé be murdered while I stay on the sidelines. I will never allow it to happen."

"Deal." Ron said before quickly giving her a kiss and dashing outside.

Hermione was about to sit on the couch when she heard Ron's voice. "Hermione!"

For a pregnant woman of 30 weeks, Hermione moved with considerable speed only to stop in the doorway to take in the scene before her. The Dragon League were out on the grass standing in a circle. All wands trained on a tiny figure crouching in terror before them.

"What are you doing?! He's just a boy!" Hermione yelled as she descended the stairs and made her way over to the circle.

"He's not just any little boy, though!" Fred shouted, overwhelming the little boy to the point of tears.

"He was with Harvey's right hand man. What's his name? Yellingdear? Yellowbangs? Yolo?" George tried to help explain the situation.

Hermione charged forward and after forcefully lowering Ron's wand, she broke the circle and did her best to kneel before the terrified boy. She tried 3 times to get down on the ground. The others stood there wands still raised, ready for action when it called. Hermione opted for bending over slightly. She was still taller than the boy but at least she was trying to seem less intimidating.

"It's ok. Don't be scared." She turned to the other guys surrounding her and the little boy. "Guys! Stop it! Honestly, grow up! What is a two year old going to do?" Ginny and Luna instantly lowered their wands and crouched down to the little boy's height. Neville was next to lower his wand followed by Harry, then Ron leaving Fred and George the only ones with their wands transfixed on the boy.

"Hermione, He's a trained assassin." George started.

"He'll get us when we least expect it. We'll turn our back and BANG! He's the last one standing." Fred finished dramatically.

"Hermione's right, Fred. He's two years old. What's a two year old going to do?" Ginny said from her position on the ground. It was getting dark and the cool night air was drifting in from over the ridges. The grass was already beginning to collect the dew.

The little boy stepped forward and postured himself so he was standing up straight, with arms at his side and a frown upon his face. "I not two! I three!" The little boy startled Fred and George. The boy slowly made his way over to where Fred and George were standing and spoke again. This time softer. "I don't gots a wand." Then he giggled and turned back towards the others. "They looks the same!" He then proceeded into a fit of giggles until he spotted one major difference.

He went up to George and studied him before heading over to Fred and doing the same thing. The others just crouched in their positions, none of them wanting to break the boy's concentration. The boy then went back to George. "Mister," The boy began, "Are you missing your ear?" He said curiously.

George looked at the League and smirked. "Every now and then I get a bit teary." He looked down at the confused look on the boy's face.

"Where is it?" The boy asked.

"I lost it."

"How?"

"Well, I was fighting alien pirates when this massive swarm of ninja assassins descended from the skies-" George began his story with great animation, the others just sat there on the grass and rolled their eyes. Hermione, too, had managed to get herself on the ground with the assistance of Ron.

"—Next thing you know, a giant albatross swoops in and takes his ear." Fred added with equal gusto.

"Alba-?" The little boy backed away from the twins and found himself surrounded by the others, sitting around in a circle. He looked around to seek out the least threatening stranger. His gaze fell upon Hermione and he quickly ran over to her. His curly hair flailed in the wind as he ran. He reached Hermione and sat down next to her, nudging closer to her to shield himself from the twins who were, at this stage, laughing loudly, their wands lowered.

"You're scaring him!" Ginny called over to her brothers who had stopped laughing and come to join the others on the ground. They sat silently for a while to make sense of what had just happened.

"So where did it come from?" Harry asked after a long silent pause.

"I do believe the gender of the child is a male." Luna stated.

"Sorry, where did _he_ come from?" Harry asked again.

"He showed up with that 'Yellingdude' guy from Harvey's team." Neville assisted.

"What's your name?" Hermione looked down at her side, the little boy pressed up against her.

"Sheth." He responded quietly.

"Sheth? What kind of name is that?!" Fred questioned a bit too loudly.

"I like it, it makes him more… manly." Luna responded. Sheth puffed out his chest in pride.

"Sheth, did you know that man?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. He works with daddy."

"Do you live in a volcano?" Ron quickly questioned.

Sheth was so taken back by all the positive attention he was receiving that he began to relax. He let go of Hermione and sat up straight.

"Yeah! My daddy taught me a song about it. Wanna hear it?" Sheth spoke with excitement. He started bouncing on his knees when he saw the eager looks from the strangers surrounding him.

He cleared his throat. " _High up in a grey cave, where there is no sun_ ," His little arms rose high above his head as he played out the actions, " _Just remember, little Sheth, that I am number one_." By this time the others looked at each other in confusion. Sheth continued to use his hands to perform the actions to the song.

Sheth continued, " _Sur-roun-ded by dead plains, of rocky mountains, blue_." Sheth struggled for the pronunciations. " _Inside is a river, that's smellier than poo_." Sheth paused his song to stifle a small giggle before continuing again.

" _There is nothing else here, for miles and miles around. But don't step out the cave door, we've booby-trapped the ground. When we want to go out, we must first ensure, that we land in the safe zone, that way we are secure_." The Dragons League's eyes were wider than the moon, this young boy was practically feeding them the location of the Volcano.

" _So when you have lost your way, when I am not in sight, just remember the safe zone, and you should be alright. Now the song is over, it's time to go to bed, allow your dreams of me, son, to fill your sleepy head_." Sheth finished his presentation by pretending to fall asleep on the grass covered ground. The Dragon League was stunned in silence.

Luna erupted into a solo round of applause. She looked around at the others and slowly stopped clapping. "That was very good. Do you think I could learn it?" She asked in her dream state voice.

"Daddy says that only I can sing it." Sheth responded as he picked himself off the ground.

"Is your daddy's name Kurt Harvey?" Harry asked the small boy. Sheth tottered over to where Harry sat. Sheth saw his glasses and without asking grabbed them from his head and put them on himself. He tried to walk around but the magnification of the glasses made him stumble.

"I don't know. Mr. Riddle calls him swine and idiot and fool and dickhead and… and other things. Are those his name?" Sheth looked up at Harry with his big brown beady eyes magnified from behind Harry's glasses.

"Judging from the lyrics of the song, I think it's safe to assume that Harvey is Sheth's dad." Ginny spoke from beside Harry.

* * *

(Meanwhile…)

Riddle stood from his throne and slowly paced over to the Stone. However, he'd realised that the closer he got to it the weaker he felt. He would never voice his observation, he was too proud to let something so small determine his strength. No, he would keep this to himself.

The days passed on and soon Riddle's lack of strength was becoming more evident in the way he walked and presented himself. He'd spent an entire day on his throne, deep in thought, meditating on the effects of the stone. He'd come to the conclusion that the closer he got to the stone the weaker he felt, and the further away from the stone he was the more powerful he became.

He did a subtle experiment to prove that his hypothesis was true; he felt much stronger near the mouth of the cave than when he was standing by the Stone's side. He deducted that his evil blood that resides in the Stone remains faithful to him but only if it doesn't touch him. It is almost as if the Stone was using Riddle's own blood and power against him.

It was the 10th of December when Riddle realised just how powerful the Stone had become. He hadn't even made it to the pulpit of the Stone when he felt his legs buckle beneath him. Fortunately for him, no one was close enough to witness the strange reaction.

Riddle called for another man and manipulated him into hiding the rock somewhere in the middle of Australia. He informed the man of the exact location where he should place the stone then he turned and walked back to his magnificently carved throne.

Once Riddle is seated he hears his prisoner from behind him. Chains rattling against the hardness of the rock floors.

"Sir, I'm thirsty." Harvey whines from his restricted area. "It's cold… and wet."

"Wet?" Riddle questioned with anger as he stood. His power was already surging through his veins as the other man disapparated for Australia with the Stone in hand.

"I couldn't help it. You know, when you tie up prisoners, you should really put a toilet next to them… or a bucket, at least."

Riddle growled and approached the struggling man. "You're a dying man, Kurt Harvey." Riddle spoke calmly. "I, too, know what it feels like to have the power of life slowly cease its course."

"Sir?" Harvey managed to say.

"The Stone is making me stronger. Soon, I will be the greatest sorcerer this world has ever seen. Stronger than my father. My father, 'Lord Voldemort' he called himself, will be considered weak when compared to my supremacy. You will not live long. Perdicus will kill Weasley and once he does, you will suffer a painful death, also."

"Great." Harvey drawled sarcastically.

"I am going to tell you something. Something that can never be repeated or spoken of again. The Stone was killing me. I have sent it away to a place unknown to others. There it will reside. If I were to touch the stone its energy would surely kill me."

"What if I wanted to throw it at your fat head? ...Hypothetically speaking, of course." Harvey mused with a slight smirk.

"You will die also."

Harvey's smirk vanished. "I would die? I thought that Stone was to preserve the effects of the Philosopher's Stone? Not turn it into a death rock."

"It will keep me alive for all eternity if I do not come into contact with it. However the Stone is also filled with my blood, making it loyal only to me. If someone were to strike me with it, the Stone's loyalty will become so great that its compressed power within it will demolish the enemy of its master."

"So the only way to kill you is to kill oneself?"

"Precisely. And since no one knows where I have hidden the stone, I shall continue to live on."

"What about the guy that hid it for you?"

On cue the man that Riddle had sent to hide the Stone appeared at the cave entrance. As quick as he appeared, Riddle pulled out his own wand and sent a curse in his direction. It killed him instantly as it impacted with his chest.

"No-one."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** That one random guy at the end was harmed during the making of this chapter. May he Rest In Pieces… er, I mean, Rest In Peace… Whoever he was. If anyone has any idea who that random guy was, the one that just got killed, please provide details in your review.


	26. Fixed Today Flee Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP and I don't own marbles. I used to but I lost them. Seriously, I lost my marbles. I had a whole box of them full of different colours, shapes and sizes and now they're all gone. Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone!

 **A/N:** Sorry about the long chapter. It is probably the longest one in the story. Hope you like it though. Merry Christmas my faithful followers and wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

The countdown begins! Including this chapter, there is only five more to go.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 26: Fixed Today Flee Tomorrow

It was the 14th of January, 45 days after Sheth's unexpected arrival at the Burrow and the Dragon League were busy organising a strategy to get inside the Volcano without blowing themselves up from here to kingdom come. Everyone was conscious about Sheth and the use of his father's name. Ever since Sheth's arrival they had given Harvey and Riddle the nickname 'The Bad Guys', so Sheth wouldn't get hysterical every time someone came up with an idea to kill off Harvey. After hearing Sheth's bedtime time song Hermione started marking pages in her Volcano book that matched the description of the Volcano in the song.

Hermione had narrowed down the results and showed Sheth the pictures of the last four volcanos. "That one." Sheth said with solid certainty as his tiny chubby finger pointed directly at the picture of the smoky volcano.

"Alright, we're ready." Ron spoke from the doorway of the living room. He looked over at Hermione and the small boy leaning against her. His thoughts trailed away momentarily as he began to think of his future with Hermione and their little girl. "Are you sure you're going to be ok?" He asked after returning back to reality.

"Ron, first you tried to leave me behind and now that I am willing to stay you're trying to get me to come along with you." Hermione said as she looked up from the big book. Sheth was now turning the pages musing loudly about each new picture he came across.

"No. That's not… It's not… I don't want-" Ron protested.

"—Me to get hurt. Yes, Ron, I understand. Besides, someone has to look after Sheth."

"Come on, Son. It's time to show this Riddle guy what we Weasleys can do." Arthur called from the front door as he placed his hat upon his head and draped his coat around his shoulders.

"No offense, Dad, but Riddle already knows what _that_ Weasley can do." Ginny said as she passed him following Harry and the others out the door.

"Then I guess we have to show him what we can do." Molly chided as she, too, grabbed a coat and headed out the door. "Hermione, dear, help yourself to the peanut butter biscuits, they're in the fridge." She yelled from outside.

Ron walked over to where Hermione was sitting and bent over to give her a kiss. When he drew back to his full height he saw Sheth staring at him with a big smile on his face. "What are you smiling at, Sheth?"

"You kisses her a lot." Sheth bounced on the balls of his feet.

"I do." Ron admitted with a smile on his own face.

"Hawwy and Gin-Gin kisses lots too." He said off the cuff as he turned the page of the book.

"Oh, really?" Hermione smirked at the young boy's statement.

"Yeah!" Sheth exclaimed, now looking up a Ron. "I see Mr. Weasy kisses you. Daddy never kisses me. He say it's 'a sign of weakness.'"

Ron just looked at Hermione before kneeling down to Sheth's height. Ron brought his right hand around Sheth's head and drew him in to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. "Kissing is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of love, and love is very strong."

"You kisses me!" Sheth blushed. "Does that mean I am strong like you now?" He asked with eagerness.

"Do you feel stronger?" Ron asked him. Sheth pondered on Ron's question before nodding his head vigorously. Ron smiled and rose to his feet once more and started to head out the door when he was stopped by Sheth tugging on his shirt. He knelt down once again.

Sheth looked at both of his hands before deciding on his right hand. In the same way Ron had done, Sheth placed his right hand behind Ron's head and stepped closer to plant a wet, sloppy, three-year-old kiss on his forehead. "I give you love so you can be stronger than The Bad Guys." He said seriously before running back into the room where Hermione was.

Within minutes the Dragon League, accompanied by Arthur and Molly, were standing in the Safe Zone. Tall, blue mountains could be seen in the distance, creating a bowl around them. Before them the volcano sizzled with steam and smoke.

"Why do villains always live in such ridiculous places?" Fred mused loudly.

"So that people know that they're villains." George responded.

"If I were a villain I wouldn't make it so obvious." Luna spoke.

"Where would you live?" Neville asked, he was quite curious as to what Luna had to say.

"I would live in the canopy of a dark forest, I would feed off the wild berries and call upon the Centaurs to guard the land and command the wild Thestrals to tear apart intruders and eat their remains to cover up all evidence." Luna answered unfazed by her graphic description.

"This isn't the first time you've thought about this, is it?" Harry asked.

"I've contemplated it on and off for the past 7 years."

"Well, it's original." Fred replied after a couple minutes of shocked silence.

"Good luck with that, Luna." George stated.

The team apparated to the mouth of the cave. The popping noise they made upon arrival echoed down the canal of the cave and alerted the men within the Volcano. Riddle stared into the dark tunnel and smirked evilly when the projection of the Dragon League appeared before his eyes.

"Kill them all." Was Riddles last statement before a flurry of wild curses swept past his ear in the direction of the League. "Leave no survivors." He said as he stepped back and allowed his men to take control.

As the men charged forward firing curses, Riddle made his way back to his carved stone throne. However, instead of sitting magnificently on it he opted for standing high upon it.

As soon as the Dragon League exited the tunnel they were bombarded by a mass of curses. Neville slipped on the slick, stone floor to avoid getting struck and Ginny's shoulder was nicked by a passing curse. Wands fired back from the defensive team. Rock and stone carved sculptures exploding with the touch of a curse.

While dodging the attacks of Riddle's men the Dragon League managed to spread out as best they could without trailing too far from each other. Neville stuck close to Molly. Although she was not a member of the Dragon League she had more skill and better aim then he had. However, his shocking aim was no matter here. Even if he had missed his desired target his spell would hit one of the stone features behind making it shatter upon impact sending shards of stone deep into his enemy's spine.

Arthur had been helping Ginny. Not that she needed help, but she appreciated his support. Her powerful hexes would render the other team unconscious while Arthur's curses would finish them off. He didn't want his little girl to be a killer. Ginny halted in front of a lanky looking man; his legs were too long for his body and his arms were scrawny. He let out a goofy laugh before being hit in the face with a chicken shaped squeaky toy.

"Ow! What was that for?!" The lanky man said, stunned.

"Sorry, I thought you were a pet." Arthur said through his beaming smile.

"I am no pet. I am none other than Arnold Puff!" Puff exclaimed.

"Fetch the toy." Ginny said playfully as she cast a ball from her wand sending it in the opposite direction. Puff beamed brightly before turning to run after the ball.

Fred and George were up to no good. As always. They were sending transfiguration spells across the cave.

"What has four legs but can't run?" George asked Fred while smiling to himself.

"I don't know, what _does_ have four legs but can't run?" Fred smiled back at his twin knowing full well what the answer was. George raised his wand and cast the transfiguration spell in the direction of his foe turning him instantly into a nice brown wooden table.

"A table! Oh, good one, Georgie. My turn…" Fred looked around to spot his next victim; a lanky young man running after a ball.

"What has bark, a trunk and leaves?" Fred dangerously smirked.

"I don't know, Fred. What could it possibly be?" George snickered.

Fred waved his wand and soon enough Puff's lanky body was replaced by an even lankier puppy dog.

"A dog?" George paused and turned to Fred.

"I lied about the trunk and leaves."

"Well played, Brother."

Ron was fighting by himself. He didn't need anyone to help him, and he didn't know how much control he had over his power. If he lost control of it he didn't know who would be left standing.

Luna and Harry worked together as a team; Luna would cast an unnecessary hex in order to distract the opposing team long enough for Harry to deliver the killer blow, but Harry lost his glasses when he bent backwards to escape the line of fire. He had no time to retrieve them before he was needed once more. Harry slowly drifted further from Luna, Luna struggled to keep up with His speed. While waltzing amongst the curses Luna spotted Harry's cracked glasses lying broken on the wet, cold, stone floor. Upon seeing them she bent down to pick them up, effortlessly dodging spells and curses, and placed them carefully on her head.

Harvey was eager to join the fight. He was thrashing against the chain willing it to set him free. "Sir! You're Grace! My Liege!" He begged. "Let me fight! Out of all the people here, I am the one who knows the most about Weasley. Let me do this!" Harvey yelled over the deafening curses.

Riddle turned his head slightly to look at the determination on Harvey's face. With a roll of his eyes Riddle raised his right hand and made a quick flicking gesture. Harvey's chain were snapped and the cuffs broke into ash.

"Sir! How did you do that?!" Harvey exclaimed as he made his way over to where Riddle was standing on his throne.

"I am the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Now go, find Weasley and kill him!" Riddle spat in Harvey's face. Harvey removed the spit with his right hand, nodded at his Leader, retrieved his wand and headed for Ron.

* * *

(Meanwhile back at the Burrow)

"I don't understand this!" Hermione exclaimed as she re-read the same paragraph again for the fourth time. "The Philosopher's Stone was destroyed." She mused to herself loudly as she sat back in the armchair to rub her swollen belly.

"It's a rock, Mynee." Sheth stated confidently as he made his way from his colouring book, that Hermione had conjured from an old muggle magazine of Arthurs, over to where she sat.

"What?" Hermione was now rubbing her brow as a sign of exhaustion.

"Mr. Riddle has a rock."

Hermione shot up right as Sheth's words rebounded in her mind. "A rock? What kind of rock?"

"It's a pet rock. It even has its own chair." Sheth said seriously as he began to stroke Hermione's belly.

"Sheth, what does the rock look like?"

"It's red and shiny." Sheth looked up into Hermione's eyes. "Mr. Riddle loves his pet rock. He got it from the river. It's a river rock. A red river rock. Daddy says Mr. Riddle feeds it blood. I don't like blood. Daddy says it tastes like failure. I don't know what failure tastes like. I never had it before."

"Wait. Mr. Riddle put his blood into the stone?" She asked as she skimmed through the pages of her latest book. "This stone has to be the key that takes Riddle out." She was reading about the acid in the volcano's river when she felt Sheth lightly patting her tummy. Her stomach churned and made a gurgling noise. Sheth withdrew his hands to cover his mouth as he giggled.

"She is talking to me." Sheth giggled.

Hermione looked down at the little boy. "What is she saying?"

"She wants some peanut butter biscuits."

"Does she really?"

"Yep." He nodded seriously.

"And you're not just saying this because peanut butter biscuits are your favourite treat, are you?" She smiled back at Sheth. Sheth looked to the ground to hide his smile.

"She likes them too."

Hermione chuckled out loud before struggling to her feet. "I guess we could all use a little break. Would you like some peanut butter biscuits, Sheth?"

Sheth's little round face broke into a wide beam as he began jumping up and down on the balls of his feet. "Oh, yes, please!"

"Ok. But you're only allowed to have three and no more. I don't want a repeat on what happened last time."

"Oh, but I promise I won't throw up this time."

"I know you won't because the twins aren't here to make bets on you."

"I like Fwed and Georgie."

Hermione motioned for him to keep colouring his picture while she went into the kitchen to get the biscuits from the fridge. As she turned into the kitchen she came face to face with a tall, muscular man with mocha coloured skin. Hermione gasped in shock and went to pull her wand out from her belt but was too slow.

The muscular man had his wand ready and aimed at Hermione. His inaudible hex caught her off guard and sent her crashing to the ground with her legs tied. Hermione shielded her belly from the worst of the impact and struggled to turn and face the intruder.

"Where's Weasley?" The man's deep, rich voice boomed over Hermione.

"No! Don't!" Came a frightened voice from beside them. Sheth had run into the kitchen where he had heard a thud. "Perdicus, don't hurt her!" Sheth cried.

"I hate kids." Perdicus said as he approach the shaking three year old.

Hermione manoeuvred herself around so her bound legs came in contact with Perdicus'. Perdicus tripped over the bound legs and came crashing down a few metres from Sheth. Hermione unbound herself and managed to get on her feet before Perdicus had the chance to roll over.

Hermione loomed over the intruder with her wand pointed at his head. "Sheth go back to the living room now." She said with a low, stern voice.

"But, Mynee, I can help-"

"Sheth! Go. Now." She repeated.

"But-"

"Don't argue!" Hermione made the mistake of taking her eyes off of Perdicus and within an instant she was on her back again with a wand pointed directly at her abdomen. Perdicus drew his wand back to deliver the final blow but was cut short when the blue glow returned with a vengeance.

Perdicus, not knowing what the blue glow was, proceeded to cast the curse at his victim. The curse left the wand, hit Hermione in the abdomen, rebound and hit him straight in the chest. His movements stopped instantly and he fell to the ground. Sheth ran to help Hermione to her feet before going to check on Perdicus. "Is he gone?"

Hermione noticed the shallow rising of his chest.

"No." She moved Sheth aside and made her way towards Perdicus' head. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Where is the stone?" Hermione pestered from her position over him.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" Perdicus coughed from his place on the ground. Hermione's stomach started to glow again, only this time the blue tinge was darker. The glow spread throughout Hermione's body changing her to different shades of blue. Her eyes became a florescent blue and her hair was streaked with many shades. Even the long skirt and oversized shirt that she was wearing had been turned into a deep royal blue.

"Tell me!" Her voice bellowed throughout the house, shattering windows and knocking over cups and plates.

"I don't know!" Perdicus trembled. "I don't know!" He repeated. "No one does! Riddle killed the only one who knew." He finished with shaky hands.

"Think!" Hermione's one word pinned Perdicus to the ground. Sheth, by this stage, had cowered behind the armchair in the living room. He had his fingers in his ears and was singing his night time song loudly to himself.

Perdicus wracked his brains for any information. "Thompson! He… he was the one! Thompson hid the stone."

"Where is he?!" The blue projection of Hermione yelled.

"Dead, I assume! Riddle would've killed him on his return." Perdicus spoke. The blue covering Hermione's body started to pulsate the angrier she became. Her agitated state wasn't making things any better.

"He… He did say something about Australia! He said something about a promotion after his 'mission to Australia.'"

"Where in Australia?!"

"Simpson Desert. In a broken gidgee tree."

Hermione approach the fallen man and punched him hard in the face before returning to her natural state. She slumped in exhaustion over the countertop before finding a chair close by to sit in while she regained her energy.

"Sheth." Hermione weakly called out. She made her way into the living room and spotted Sheth's curly hair peeping out over the back of the armchair. She approach him carefully not wanting to frighten him. She knelt down next to him and gently rubbed his arm. He gasped slightly then relaxed when he saw Hermione's face.

"You went blue." He said softly after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Yes."

"Are you sick?"

"No. Just a little weak at the moment." Sheth turned to Hermione, stood on his tippy-toes and kissed her check. "What was that for?" Hermione asked, amazed at Sheth's small act of love.

"Wonnal showed me. It's love. It will make you stronger. Do you feel stronger?" He asked much in the same way that Ronald had asked him earlier. Hermione just nodded her head and smiled.

"Let's get away from here." She said as she held out her hand to the little boy.

"What?! Just go away from here?" He asked with a smile plastered across his face.

"Yeah!"

"Where to go?" He asked.

"I was thinking Australia."

* * *

(Meanwhile back at the Volcano.)

Harvey had his sights set on Ron. His anger drove him on. Harry spotted Harvey and made his way over to block his path.

"Move. Or you will be killed." Harvey lowered his voice dangerously.

"You don't have to do this." Harry spoke, his wand still trained on Harvey.

"Yes. I do. You don't understand."

"I do. We have your son." Harry stated and lowered his wand slightly.

Harvey's eyes grew wide and his fingers turned white as he gripped his wand tighter. "Return him to me, now!"

"He's not here. He's with someone who we trust, away from here. We don't want him to be a part of this. He's safe." Harvey faltered and lowered his wand. "Killing Ron won't bring Sheth back to you. But defeating Riddle will free you both." Upon hearing his son's name Harvey's head jolted up and his scowl disappeared from his face. He stared at Harry and contemplated his actions, his fists were clenching and his heart was racing.

"I am on no-one's side. I'm going to get my son and get out. If Weasley gets in my way… I'll kill him." Harvey said before turning in the opposite direction and killing anyone in his path as he moved through the crowd.

Riddle stood on his throne and marvelled at the sight before him; dead bodies scattered the floor, all of them were his men. _This will not do_. He thought. Riddle brought out his hands from beneath his dark cloak and raised them above his head slowly. The people within the cave started to lose their footing on the ground and started to float inches above the ground. The only person left standing on the cold, slick floor was Ron.

Riddle flicked his wrist quickly and within an instant everyone was on the ceiling, Ron excluded. All wands dropped from their grasp rendering them powerless. Ron turned around quickly to observe the new change and realised that the strange turn of events was Riddle's doing.

"I have to do everything myself." Riddle sneered as his gaze fell upon the only person that wasn't effected by his power. Riddle rubbed his hands together briskly creating a small red spark. Soon his hands erupted into red flames. The red flames looked synthetic but Ron would bet anything that the fire in the enemy's hand was anything but fake.

Ron looked around before averting his gaze quickly to the roof of the cave where the rest of the Dragon League were pinned. "You can do it, Ronnie!" came Fred's voice from above his right ear.

"Yeah, Whoop his ass!" George's voice boomed in his left ear.

"It would be a lot easier if you were down here!" Ron yelled back at them.

"Nah, you'll be fine!" George answered back.

"Yeah, besides this is better than front row seats at the Wicked Sister's concert." Fred hollered back from his place on the ceiling.

"They won't be joining you anytime soon." Riddle sneered from his throne. "Not as long as I'm around."

"In that case, I'll have to kill you." Ron spoke sternly. Riddle just threw his head back in laughter. Ron shook his hands then brought them in front of his face in an action similar to a prayer.

"Praying, Weasley? How pathetic."

"Prayer has power." Ron replied as his hands erupted into a tall tower of blue flame. Ron quickly brought his hands back behind his waist to form a large ball of flaming power. He then swivelled on the spot to get enough momentum to send the blue fire ball directly at Riddles throne. Riddle was too slow to comprehend what was happening and was soon balled off of his feet as the throne beneath him exploded into blue ash.

Riddle's break in concentration had the people from the roof falling to the ground. He raised his red fiery hands once again and slammed the people back up against the sharp stone roof. Loud gasps and wheezes were echoing around the room. Ron looked up to see if his family and friends had been injured only to be bashed viciously up against the cave wall behind him. The wall cracked from the impact but that did not deter him from getting back to his feet and balling up another blue fire ball.

The fight continued for what seemed like hours. Fred and George started taking bets while Luna and Ginny opted for playing eye spy. Riddle jumped from a ledge landing in front of Weasley, his feet erupting with red flame as he landed. Ron was weakened by this stage, barely returning to his feet before being struck again. As Riddle approached his target his feet returned to their natural state and his hands were starting to dim. Riddle looked at his hands before looking to the ceiling. Ron followed his gaze and noticed the slow descent of the people who were recently pinned tightly against the ceiling.

"He's losing power!" Arthur called whilst completing his latest mid-air somersault.

"Impossible!" Riddle snarled loudly.

"Improbable." Came an all too familiar voice from the mouth of the cave.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, no peanut butter biscuits were consumed during the making of this chapter. Every review posted goes towards another peanut butter biscuit for Sheth. Please, review, for Sheth.


	27. Flee Today Here Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Australia. I live in it, but that doesn't mean I own it. It's just like Harry Potter; just because I love it doesn't mean I own it.

 **A/N:** Compared to the last chapter this one is quite short. Sorry about that. First I'm sorry for making it too long and now I'm sorry for making it too short, next I'll be sorry for making it 'just right'. I'm sort of like the Goldilocks of Fanfiction.

Happy New Year!

Including this chapter, four more chapters to go.

Sorry, this chapter has been reposted for editing reasons. I'm not perfect. I'm sure there is still a couple of mistakes I have not picked up on.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 27: Flee Today Here Tomorrow

Hermione and Sheth stood in the Safe Zone, Stone in Hermione's bag, Kingsley and the other Aurors beside them.

"Why is it that you've taken this guy on by yourself and only call us when you need us?" Kingsley's deep voice echoed across the rocky plains.

"Isn't that what Aurors are for?" Hermione smirked.

"I see your point." Kingsley replied and looked out over at the volcano in the distance. "I assume that's where we're going?" He turned back to Hermione who just nodded. Kingsley just sighed. "Nobody tells me anything."

"You're the Minister. Nobody tells the Minister anything." Hermione tried to lighten the mood. It wasn't working very well. "Let's do this." She added and with a curt nod from the Aurors they apparated to the mouth of the cave.

Hermione could hear Arthur's voice from inside. "He's losing power!"

"Impossible!" A growling voice responded.

"Improbable!" Hermione entered the cave with wand raised high, bag tucked close to her body and Sheth at her heels.

Riddle's head snapped in the direction of the newcomers. He glared at them from dark eyes lit by a fury he was barely keeping under control. "It can't be…" The wizards that were on the ceiling of the cave came crashing to the ground. Some landed on their feet, others, such as Neville, ended up face planting into the hard stone below.

"Men! Take them out! Take them all out! Kill everyone!" Riddle's anxious shout ricocheted off the rock walls.

Kingsley lunged forward and turned to face the Aurors that were standing behind him. "Remember, our target is Riddle. If you don't know who that is by now… you shouldn't be an Auror. Our true mission… to look good while we kick ass." Kinglsey's short speech was unusual but inspired the Aurors who leapt forward, eager to show their skills. Riddle's men were falling faster now and his energy was beginning to dwindle.

Riddle clasped his hands together in front of him and rubbed them furiously to get a spark out of them. Nothing happened. He stared longingly at his hands before trying again. He didn't even notice Ron's approach.

"I thought you said prayer was pathetic?" Ron's words were spoken with a slant of confident sarcasm. His hands glowed bright with fluorescent blue flame.

"Weasley." Riddle seethed with rage… or was it jealousy?

"It'll be over before you know it." Ron spoke once more before throwing a large ball of blue power directly at Riddle's chest. Ron used his arms to protect his face from the excess magic rebounding. The ball of flame erupted in a massive display of blue fireworks as it hit Riddle in the chest.

Spells and curses were halted as all eyes were drawn to the impressive display. The collision of Ron's power and Riddle's body was so strong that the rippling aftershock swept everyone off of their feet.

Gasps, coughs and choking could be heard around the room as a thick layer of smoky blue dust rose up from where Riddle had stood. Ron got to his feet. He was hurt badly at some point during his fight with Riddle. His left leg had been grazed by one of Riddle's fire balls. The gash was wide and painful but the wound didn't run deep. Using his right leg to support his weight, Ron stumbled over to where Riddle had been standing. As he got closer he noticed the pile of blue gravel moving slightly. Ron prepared himself for the worst, his hands burning with blue fire once more.

From beneath the pile of blue rubble came the figure of Riddle. A deep, throaty laugh echoed dangerously around the cave as he rose to his full height. He stretched out the tension in his neck and back, and turned to face Weasley, blue flame resting in his grasp.

"Your gift is most generous, Weasley. I shall use it well." Riddle manipulated the blue flame in his hands and began to use its power against Ron. Ron started to battle once more with his foe; his blue power against Riddle's.

"You see, Weasley, I can't die. I can only get stronger." Riddle chuckled as he sent blow after blow towards Ron.

By this time everyone was back into the full swing of things; casting curses, spells, hexes and jinxes to get the upper hand. Hermione and Harry were currently fighting off a group of large men. They were nearly twice the size of Hermione and that's saying something because she was 8 months pregnant.

"Harry. Take this." Hermione spoke soft enough for only him to hear. She leant into him and carefully placed the slick red stone in Harry's hands.

"What's this?" Harry asked as Hermione motioned for him to keep it down and hide the stone. Harry quickly placed the stone into the pocket of his pants. Memories of his first year at Hogwarts momentarily filled his mind.

"It's a stone. Riddle forged it here and injected his blood into it so he could remain alive. That's why Riddle didn't die when Ron attacked him."

"Are you saying that this stone is what's going to kill Riddle?" Harry gawked at Hermione.

"Yes. Though I think it would be more effective if it is thrown at him." Hermione stared at Harry. Harry realised what she was implying. He nodded in comprehension then left her to find Riddle.

He didn't get far before he came face to face with an enormous wizard. The large wizard sported a black eye and his mocha skin had bruises on it. He was currently standing over the dead form of Charles Memphis. Memphis had been a heavily built man. He'd had large muscles bulging everywhere, however even with his skill as an Auror, and his impressive strength, he was still no match for Perdicus. Perdicus was bigger than Memphis. He was taller, heavier and had more muscles. He peered down at Harry and spotted a red glint from the opening of his pocket.

"The stone." His deep, rich voice grunted.

Harry glanced down at his pocket and raised his wand to fight, realising that getting to Riddle was going to be harder than he thought.

Sheth was scared. He had never been through so much in his short life. First he was abducted by Yollander and taken to strangers. The strangers were nice and he really enjoyed being with them but he had started to miss his daddy. When Hermione told him that they were going back his little heart leapt with joy and now that he was back the nice strangers had decided to attack his family. His heart broke as he continued to watch his family fight his friends.

He surveyed the scene before his innocent eyes and jumped happily when he saw his daddy. He weaved out from behind Hermione and made his way closer to his father. "Daddy!" He called out, his small voice lost in the sounds of screams and explosions. "Daddy!" he yelled out again losing faith that his daddy would ever hear him. "Daddy!" Sheth's voice broke with a cry.

The sound of his son's broken cry penetrated his concentration. Harvey turned to see Sheth standing there wailing with tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. "Sheth." Harvey's voice was soft, motioning his son forward. He opened his arms and Sheth bolted for him.

Harvey found his son's ear amongst the furry mess of hair and whispered into it. "Sheth, remember that hideout I showed you?" Harvey was answered with a nod. "Well, you need to go there now. It is not safe to watch me from out here." Harvey let go of his son and looked into his glazed eyes. "I need you to go to the hideout and block your ears. Face the wall, block your ears and sing our bedtime song. Can you do that?" Sheth nodded and obeyed his father. He made his way over to the cave wall and found the small cut out that his father called 'The Hideout'. It was the perfect fit for him. He climbed over the boulder that occupied the entry way and slipped into the little crescent behind it. He sat down and leant up against the boulder. With eyes shut tightly he moved his hands so that they covered his ears. With everything in place, as he was told, he began to sing his bedtime song.

With the help of her unborn child Hermione managed to take down the wall of Riddle's men. Her heart jolted as she realised the missing presence of Sheth but regained her control as she saw Harvey hugging his son. Sheth was no longer her responsibility. He was not her child and she was not his mother. It did pain her to let him go to his father, Harvey was not father material, but from what she saw Sheth loved him very much.

Hermione watched as Harvey hugged his son. She felt angry that such an innocent little boy was being brought up in a volcano surrounded by a bunch of murderers. She felt anger rise to her chest and looked down to see the blue glow take over her body once more. She stood stunned as she continued to watch the different shades of blue take hold of her body.

Hermione looked up in time to see Harvey usher his son off before he returned to the scene of the fight. She watched little Sheth slink into the shadows and vanish from sight. Her anger boiled, her heart broke and her body was blue. As her emotions swirled it brought to the forefront all of the pressure and stress of the last few weeks. Weighed down and overcome by it she found her legs suddenly slick with water.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Kingsley's ego as the Minister was slightly harmed during the making of this chapter. However, his inspiring speech made up for it. All is well with the Minister. To keep Kingsley as the Minister for Magic write 'Vote Kingsley' in your review.


	28. Here Today Gone Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own a tail. I should say 'I don't have a tail'. If I had a tail I would paint myself blue and swing from the trees like the local Na'vi. But I will ALWAYS wear appropriate clothing. I don't want to scare people and leave them scarred for life.

 **A/N:** This chapter contains a birth scene. Nothing too graphic is written but I'm just giving you all a heads up. Please keep in mind that I have never had a baby, so I do not know how it feels. This is just a fanfiction that I have written for fun so please take it lightly. If I have written something wrong about contractions or other related things, take a breath and pretend I'm right. (Seriously, just chill. It's a fictional story.)

Including this chapter, three chapters to go.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 28: Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Hermione could feel her fluids run down her legs. She had enough time to thank herself for wearing a skirt before she realised that her blue form had started to gather around her abdomen. She let out a long breath to still her fear and remain calm. Her calm didn't last long when she was faced with a couple of Riddle's men. Hermione glanced down at her skirt and thanked Merlin that her blue state didn't emphasize the fact that her waters had just broken. She then averted her eyes to the ground and noticed that the puddle she created blended in with the slick stone floor of the cave. She was satisfied for now and began to battle the enemy once again.

* * *

Ron was kicking himself. He had tried to finish Riddle off and allowed himself to lower his defences. Who knew that a massive ball of blue power wouldn't kill the guy? He hadn't and now he was facing the consequences. His left leg was starting to tear more. The cut had now spread from his calf up over his knee.

Riddle wasn't going to release the power he had received. He didn't even know exactly how he'd managed to grab hold of this power but he was grateful that it was not destroying him. He, too, had some gashes and grazes but not as serious as Ron's. Riddle was so focused on Weasley he didn't notice Harry sneaking up behind him.

Harry had managed to fight Perdicus long enough for the twins to come to his aid. Once they were in action he slipped out unnoticed by Perdicus and headed for his true target. His mission: throw the stone at Riddle and watch him die. It can't be that hard, could it? He was blocked more times than he could count, but every time he managed to kill off the enemy or get back-up from the Aurors who had come with Hermione and Kingsley.

Kingsley was with Molly and Arthur. All three of them had skill beyond measure and none of them were shy to show their talent. Arthur and Kingsley had made it into a game. Kingsley started it, unknowingly. Kingsley cast a spell in the direction of the enemy. The spell shot out from the wand with great haste, expertly missing a fellow Auror before it hit his target in the face.

Arthur applauded before casting a similar spell at the enemy in the opposite direction. Only this time when his spell hit the target, the man was taken aback, tripped over rubble and crashed into the man behind him. The two wizards stumbled to regain their footing. One of them slipped on the edge and fell down into the acid river below pulling the other man along with him. Arthur was rewarded with the sound of sizzling flesh and piercing cries of agony. Arthur smirked at Kingsley. Kingsley smiled back. The game was on.

* * *

Hermione had just finished disarming a man when her abdomen clenched in pain. She was brought to her knees and her free hand came to hold her belly in place as she rode through the pain of her first contraction. She lifted her face to see a man approach her slowly, a grin across his dirty face. He knelt down so he was eye level with her. Her contraction was still going and she had no energy to pull herself up off the ground. She thought of the baby and within seconds her hands turned a piercing shade of blue.

Without losing any more time Hermione withdrew her hand from her belly and rammed it into the face of the man opposite her. The man was sent flying backwards so hard that by the time he had stopped moving he was on the other side of the cave. Hermione cautiously got to her feet once more. She was not going to stop until this baby screamed at her.

* * *

Harry got into position so he could see the action between his best friend and the leader of the enemy. Ron looked terrible but he was holding up okay. Riddle didn't look that bad. Harry hated seeing his friend being beaten like this. He couldn't stay still for long. After watching Ron punch Riddle in the face with his flaming hand he decided to hone in on his target.

Riddle stumbled backwards and licked his bleeding lip. He snarled viciously before setting his feet alight with blue flame. Upon seeing this Ron stretched out his arms and allowed the flame from his hands to spread up his arms. Ron leapt into the air and descended upon Riddle with his fiery arms. Punch after punch Riddle was pummelled into the ground.

Riddle used his blue-fired foot to trip Ron onto his back. Ron slammed his head hard into the stone ground and his vision blurred. When it finally cleared he saw Riddle standing above him. His flaming foot was suspended inches from his head. Ron looked down at his own arms and groaned when he saw that the fire had disappeared.

"Go to sleep, Weasley." Riddle hissed as he drew his foot back. Ron took in a sharp breath and yelled loudly as his brought his hands up to catch Riddle's foot. Ron's hands were flaming again and soon his whole body burst into blue flame. Ron rose to his feet keeping a firm grip on Riddle's foot. Ron's face was still visible within the blue fire. Ron effortlessly brought Riddle high above his head. After spinning a couple of times Ron let go of Riddle sending him hurtling into the rock ceiling above. As Riddle collided with the ground a strangled groan forced its way from his mouth. Tiny bits of rubble drifted down to shower him.

As Harry advanced on Riddle he noticed a change in his own energy levels. The closer he got to Riddle the sleepier he felt. He almost dropped the stone when he stumbled over the rocks. His eyes were drooping shut and his feet were driving him to the ledge where the river waited below. Ron saw Harry stumbling towards the edge and raced to save his best friend from certain death. He seized Harry's arm just as his foot slipped over the ridge.

"Bloody Hell, Harry! What were you thinking?!" Ron yelled.

"He's still too strong. I can't… I can't get to him." Harry slurred as he fought to stay awake.

"This is my battle, Harry. You're not powerful enough to fight him." Ron admonished to his friend as he steered him away from the edge.

"I don't want to fight, Ron." Harry said with more drive as he stepped further away from Riddle's power. "I need to get close enough to kill him."

"You're not making any sense at all." Ron looked at his friend.

* * *

Meanwhile Hermione was leaning up against the stone wall of the cave. She was breathing heavily through another contraction. They were becoming more regular. They were now only eight minutes part. Hermione was getting more and more anxious. It was too early, she was only 36 weeks along, barely over eight months. _It's too soon, it's too soon, it's too soon_ she kept chanting to herself as if it would stop the impending birth.

Another contraction _. Six minutes_. This baby was not giving up. She was ready to come out whether Hermione wanted her to or not. Hermione grimaced through the pain and pressed both of her hands firmly into her abdomen to soothe the discomfort. She opened her eyes to see Ginny off in the distance staring straight back at her. Within seconds Ginny annihilated the two men fighting against her and ran towards her friend.

Ginny could see that Hermione was in pain. Her face was contorted in agony; her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, her eyes shut tight. Ginny motioned to Luna to assist her. The two made it halfway before they were intercepted by a row of Riddle's men. Ginny stood on her toes to peer over the shoulder of the man standing in front of her. She caught a glimpse of Hermione struggling to stay standing. Ginny tried to bypass the tall men in front of her but stopped when they turned on her with their wands outstretched.

Ginny and Luna tried their best to battle the wall of men while flagging down some of their own team members to help assist Hermione. No matter who tried to get to the distressed mother-to-be they were always blocked from her. No one was getting past. There were just too many opponents and not enough people to fight them.

Hermione looked up as her legs gave way to see a wall of opponents preventing help from reaching her. She winced as her contractions came on stronger and quicker than before. Now at only three minutes apart she realised she was going to have to deliver this child by herself.

As yet another contraction tore through her body the wall of Riddle's men parted and a muscly man with mocha skin entered her safe zone. Perdicus had returned with a vengeance and he was determined to kill.

He stood over her with a deep throaty chuckle rumbling in his chest as he watched Hermione rock back and forth in agony.

Hermione knew that Perdicus was hovering above her but that was the least of her problems. She was currently on the ground of the cool, wet cave and working through her contractions. Her abdomen was constantly cramping and she could feel the baby moving further south. As Hermione tried to adjust herself into a better position a sharp pain rippled through her body causing her to gasp.

She looked down at her body. The blue glow was back but this time it was concentrated in one area. The further south the baby moved the glow would follow. Another rippling wave of pain coursed through her body. She needed to get this baby out now.

Perdicus turned away from Hermione to gaze across the scene. The war raged on and Riddle looked like he was starting to gain back some control after he'd lost his power from the Stone's return. He turned and focussed back on Hermione. By now she had positioned herself correctly and removed her underwear.

Neville and the twins were trying to get past the wall of Riddle's men but were failing. No matter how many curses, spells, jinxes or hexes were cast they were no closer to Hermione.

Ginny's head snapped up the instant she heard Hermione's scream. Hermione was a strong woman, she had always had a steady mind and came up with logical outcomes. So to hear her screaming in pain broke Ginny's heart.

Perdicus stood at Hermione's feet with his wand trained on her. He was waiting for an opportune moment. Hermione's scream echoed throughout the crowd as she bore down to push once again. She could tell she was getting closer and so could Perdicus. Her blue glow was now around her pelvis and the baby's head was just starting to make it's appearance.

Perdicus' wand was fixed on Hermione. The tip was glowing green ready to finish the child's life the moment it was born. Hermione couldn't delay the birth any further. The baby was already crowning and there was no spell that she could recall that could reverse the birth.

Another scream, another push. One more and the baby's head should be out. Once the shoulders were out all she had to do was grab the child and pull until it was fully exposed to the man waiting to kill her.

As she screamed through her latest push she noticed that the blue glow had vanished completely. She naturally bent forward to assist her daughter. She saw Perdicus' wand pointed directly in her face. The green curse of death waiting for the delivery.

Hermione screamed through the final push as she helped her child enter the world. Perdicus drew back his wand slightly before casting the killing curse directly at the newborn as it made it's first appearance.

The green line of power rebounded against a small blue shield sending the spell, the caster and the remnants of the now broken blue shield backwards across the cave. Perdicus was flung through the air like a ragdoll where he landed mere metres from the ledge. The momentum carried his body over the edge falling into the acid river below.

* * *

Ron and Harry were oblivious to what had happened with Hermione. They were busy working together to disarm and conquer Riddle.

Ron sent Riddle flying into a nearby wall before dragging Harry behind a stone pillar for cover.

"What do you mean 'the Stone will kill him'?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Hermione said something about Riddle's blood and the Stone. We have to hit him with the Stone for him to die."

"But you can't get close enough!" Ron realised.

"Then here." Harry said as he took the Stone from his pocket and placed it in Ron's hands. "I'll distract him and you throw the Stone." Ron nodded and parted from their hiding place with the Stone in hand.

Harry grasped his wand and came out from behind the stone pillar into Riddle's line of sight. Riddle's lips pulled into a malevolent grin and he rubbed his hands together once more. Only this time there was no flame. Riddle clapped his hands before rubbing them harder. Still no flame.

Ron edged closer to his target and noticed a drop in his own power when he couldn't get close enough. The closer he got to Riddle the drowsier he became. _This doesn't make sense. Hermione said that the baby was the source of my-. The baby. No. It couldn't be. No!_ Ron scanned the area around him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Hermione, off in the distance, lying with her back against the stone wall and blood pooled around her.

Ron was furious. The picture of his dead fiancé continued to roll around in his mind fuelling his rage. He held the stone tightly in his hand. He positioned himself and lined up the Stone, aiming it at Riddle's heart. It was lined up perfectly. He drew his hand back and threw the stone.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No newborns were harmed during the making of this chapter. Thank Merlin the child had a force field with her or otherwise she _would_ be dead. Reviews are much appreciated.


	29. Gone Today Free Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter! But this story line is mine.

 **A/N:** Second last chapter. Oh, my God! It's been fun.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow.**

Chapter 29: Gone Today Free Tomorrow

The shot was lined up perfectly. He drew his hand back and threw the Stone.

Ron watched on as the Stone sailed through the air towards Riddle. 12 metres. 10 metres. 5 metres. 2 metres. Harvey. _HARVEY?! What is this prick up to now? I'm trying to save the world here and he comes along and catches the stone single handed like he's some sort of seeker in the quidditch world cup. That's it. I'm taking him out once and for all whether I've got powers or not._

* * *

 _(_ Moments before _)_

Kurt Harvey was having a fistfight with Yollander when he saw it. A red glimmer caught his eye as it flew through the air. Harvey's shirt was caught in Yollander's hands preventing him from moving.

Harvey knew what would happen if that stone hit Riddle. But did Weasley know? He couldn't let that happen. Not after all he and the wench had done to ensure his son's safety. He couldn't let Weasley take the fall for him. Or could he?

In a split second Harvey decided. Harvey quickly grabbed Yollander by the head and slammed his fist forward into his opponent's skull. He rammed his fist upwards until it made contact with Yollander's nose which ruptured with the collision. Harvey's fist was so forceful that it broke the cartilage in the bridge of the nose, sending it directly into Yollander's brain. Yollander fell limply to the floor as his nose continued to bleed.

Harvey didn't waste any time. He was running for the stone before Yollander even hit the ground. The Stone was travelling through the air like a torpedo set on its target. Harvey sped up.

Harvey jumped up on a small stone platform and lunged himself towards the hurtling red rock. He stretched out his right hand and closed his eyes. As soon as he felt the smoothness of the rock brush against his palm he clamped his fingers shut. Harvey brought the Stone to his chest and fell to the hard stone floor only metres away from Riddle.

Harvey turned slightly so his back was facing Riddle. He kept the stone hidden under his hands and kept still to keep Riddle from noticing his presence. Riddle was too distracted by Harry to even notice Harvey lying awkwardly behind him.

Harry was stumbling over broken stone features as Riddle charged for him. Riddle was physically stronger than Harry and knew it so he proceeded to toy with him. Riddle would use his wand to send large stone formations out of the ground before Harry's feet.

Harry, getting wearier the closer Riddle came to him, kept tripping over the newly formed stone features. His legs started to fail him. Although his brain yelled 'go' his feet cried 'no'.

Ron limped forward. He puffed out his chest to make himself more intimidating. He looked more like a beaten turkey, hobbling haphazardly towards Harvey who was now sprawled upon the ground heaving heavily as he clutched the Stone to his chest.

Harvey opened his eyes to see a wrathful Ron looming over him. Harvey grinned out of fear before being taken by the collar of his shirt.

"What is it with people and this shirt?!" Harvey groused as he was hoisted above the ground. His feet were daggling below him. "This is my favourite shirt and it's been through hell the last couple of months." Harvey lamented as he tried to remain calm. He even had the guts to reach out and straighten Ron's collar and smooth out the creases. "Much better. What would you do without me?" Harvey chuckled softly.

"First of all, I wouldn't have to listen to your annoying voice and pathetic excuses!" Ron sneered venomously as he brought Harvey down hard.

"Ow, not nice!" Harvey yelped as he crashed into the stone floor again.

"Secondly, I would be free to live my life!" Ron spat as he took hold of Harvey again and smashed him into the rubble behind him.

"And lastly. I WOULD'VE KILLED RIDDLE!" Ron yelled harshly as he punched Harvey and took the Stone from his hands.

"My face! My beautiful face! Why did you do that?!" Harvey implored while clutching his face. He staggered to his feet in time to see Ron take aim once again. "Will you stop that?!" Harvey cried as he leapt onto Ron's back. His arms came around Ron's front and he flung his legs around Ron's waist.

Ron swivelled around with his arms outstretched. He was spinning fast to try and shake himself free from Harvey's close embrace. After a couple of seconds Ron ceased spinning to stop himself from tipping over. Harvey was still on Ron's back and he wasn't going to budge.

"Stop spinning! I'm going to throw up!" Harvey yelled very loudly, very close to Ron's ear. Ron grabbed Harvey's arms, held on tight and fell backwards, crushing Harvey beneath him.

Ron stood quickly. However as soon as he'd regained his footing he was knocked over as Harvey swiped his feet from out beneath him. Ron hit the ground hard and came face to face with Harvey. Harvey leant over and grabbed the Stone from Ron. "I got it!" He cried with glee as he held the Stone above his head.

Harvey got to his feet in an instant and began to run towards Riddle with the Stone in his hand. Ron took longer to get to his feet because of the gash across his knee. Once he was up he began to hop towards Harvey.

Harvey got as close as he could before he suddenly felt extremely tired. He looked at the stone in his hand then back to Riddle who was still tormenting Harry. "Stop moving." Harvey said to himself. "I need you to stop moving."

As if on cue a very lanky brown puppy dog with long floppy ears came bumbling onto the scene. The puppy looked familiar to Harvey but he couldn't understand why. _How did a puppy get in here anyhow?_

The lanky puppy stumbled over its own ears before coming to a stop at Riddle's feet. Riddle paused his actions to look down at the random dog. The dog stuck its tongue out and panted a couple of times before raising its hind leg to urinate on the hem of Riddle's dark cloak.

Riddle was infuriated. He raised his foot at the same time that Harvey raised his hand. Ron was closing in and Riddle was about to kick a random stray puppy. Now was the time to act. Harvey didn't waste any time. He threw the stone and watched it spiral through the air.

The stone hit Riddle in the head. Upon impact Riddle's skull caved in on itself. The whole thing happened so quickly. Riddle's body shone with light like a bright red pulsating sun, his eyes melted within their sockets and his fingers shrivelled backwards.

The cave radiated with a magnificent deep red glow. Everyone paused what they were currently doing and turned their attention to the dying man in the centre of the cave. Riddle grew to double his size and for a split second Harvey thought he had made a mistake. It wasn't until Riddle's skin dried out and cracked that he realised that this was the end.

Ron was only three metres from Harvey when Riddle started to disintegrate. Ron was staring in disbelief and awe at the scene before him. A deep red light from within Riddle's body beamed through the cracks of his skin.

Amidst agonising and harrowing screams Riddle's body burst apart violently, his remains sprinkling down upon the others like a rain of bloody confetti.

Ron's gaze shifted from the red blood dripping down the cave walls to the man in front of him who was responsible for the human massacre. Ron's face broke into a lop-sided grin as realisation dawned on him. Riddle was finally defeated. For good. Dead.

Ron hopped unsteadily towards Harvey, still wary of his intentions. Harvey on the other hand began to burn up. The fever came upon him so strongly that it caused Harvey's stomach to churn violently. Harvey locked eyes with Ron. He saw Ron's crooked smirk before bending over to empty the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

Ron's smirked vanished the moment he saw Harvey throw up. Something wasn't right. Ron broke into a fast hobble. The pain in his leg was forgotten as he neared the man that had saved their lives.

Harvey took hold of Ron's bicep, his grip was strong and his hands were shaking. The shaking rapidly spread throughout the rest of his body and soon he was in an uncontrollable fit. Froth had begun to bubble around Harvey's mouth and his eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head. Harvey's body began to fall. Ron steadied Harvey and gently rested him on the cool stone floor.

"Harvey? Harvey?!" Ron yelled as Harry came to his aid. "What's happening, Harry?"

"I don't know." Harry responded softly.

"Harvey! Your son! Come on, Harvey. Your son needs you!" Ron shouted. For a moment Harvey's eyes came to focus back on Ron.

"Riddle's…Son." Harvey choked.

"What?" Harry spoke loudly as he came to kneel beside Ron.

"Sheth…Riddle's son…Left for dead…Abandoned."

"Are you saying that you're not even Sheth's real father?!" Ron asked with more venom than he'd intended. Harvey just nodded, his lips were cracking and the veins on his forehead were visibly pulsing.

"The Stone…blood…loyal to Riddle…" Harvey spluttered.

"The Stone is loyal to Riddle only." Ron translated. "That means whoever casts the Stone will also be killed. Wait. You knew this and you stopped me from throwing the Stone?"

"I couldn't let you… take all the glory…" Harvey smirked. Harvey's body gleamed a violent shade of red as he continued to choke on his own spit.

"Uh-oh. That's not good." Ron said as Harvey's body continued to glow brighter. "We need to get out of here."

"What about Harvey?" Harry queried.

"Harvey's the one that's going to explode!" Harry nodded and bent down to help Ron to his feet. Ron used Harry as a cane as they departed from Harvey's deteriorating body. As soon as they were shielded behind a small stone carving, a second fierce explosion went off.

The explosion resonated around the cave sending more body parts flying across the room. After the explosion had subsided a strong rumble could be heard from deep below the cave's surface.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry looked around, "This things gonna blow."

"We should get the others out of here." Ron said, "You find Hermione, get her out. I'll find Sheth." Ron started to hobble away. "Hey, Harry," Harry turned to face his friend, "I'll see you on the other side."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** Well, many wizards were harmed in the making of this chapter. Riddle and Harvey were not only harmed but they also suffered painful deaths. If you know of someone who has intentions of making a stone that makes you live forever, do not throw the stone at them! Contact your nearest mental ward or review this chapter for support.

 **A/N:** The next chapter also includes an epilogue set two years later, so it's a bit of a long one.


	30. Free Today Live Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any part of the Harry Potter Franchise.

 **A/N:** Final chapter! Yay! This one is the longest chapter of the whole story. It has taken me so long to write. I want to thank Sylaises's Fire for being my epic Beta. I would not make sense if it weren't for her. I don't post stories until I have written it all in word documents. That way I don't have half completed stories. So if you don't hear from me for a while it's most likely due to the fact that I'm writing another long fanfiction.

My next fic is a Star Trek one. It will be the first in the 'Origin' series. I probably won't post it for another couple of weeks or so. We'll see how it goes.

* * *

 **Live Today Die Tomorrow**

Chapter 30: Free Today Live Tomorrow

The ground was shaking and the cave walls were trembling. This volcano was going to blow. Soon. The remaining men Riddle left behind began to scurry and disapparate before anyone could snare them. Fear flooded in and washed away all traces of courage. Riddle's men had all vanished when the roof of the volcanic cave started to give way.

Large broken pieces of volcanic rock descended from on high creating a magnificent sky light. The early morning sun was overpowering, blinding eyes that had become accustomed to the dark surroundings.

Hermione was still sitting on the ground with her back against the cool stone wall when she witnessed the glaring sun break through the ceiling. A screaming newborn was laying naked in her lap. She peered down at the infant and smiled softly. Her skirt was covered in her own blood. Her smile faded. She was bleeding. Heavily. If she didn't do something soon she would become too weak to move and eventually bleed out.

Hermione mustered enough strength to grab her child and bring her to her chest. The child was still crying, her little face turning red with wails.

"I would be screaming too, little one." Molly said as she approached Hermione. The barricade of tall men had long since disapparated and the Dragon League along with a few of the Aurors stood in wonder at the sight before them. A child was born in the heat of battle with war raging on around her. She'd brought life where there was so much death. Her tiny soul the reason for her parents' powers. She'd given them a fighting chance. She'd saved Hermione's life.

"Of course she'd be screaming. She's naked in a cave." Fred stated as he and his twin cautiously crept forward.

"A cave that is going to explode." George added. Molly took the baby from Hermione and wrapped it in her cardigan.

"We need to get you to St. Mungo's. The both of you." Molly said sternly hoping that Hermione wouldn't argue. Hermione simply nodded. Ginny made her way between the rock wall and Hermione to give her support as the twins helped her to her feet.

"It does look painful." George stated as he stared at the blood spreading out around Hermione.

"Of course it's bloody painful! She's just given birth to a bloody force field!" Fred added but smirked at his own statement.

As the bub began to quieten the strangest thing happened. The small infant's hands began to glow light blue and Hermione's blood-covered skirt began to return to its original colour. The pool of blood around Hermione stopped growing and colour began return to her face. All eyes were transfixed by the scene.

"Hermione?" Came Harry's voice from a distance. "You're… you… Had your baby."

"With observation skills like that you should have been in Ravenclaw." Ginny's jested from behind Hermione.

"Wow." Harry said as he struggle to not be overwhelmed by the situation. Another earth shattering quake rippled across the stone floor. Stone features and furniture crumbled and the ground began to split. "We really need to get out of here now." He snapped into Auror mode.

"Gin's right, you really should have been in Ravenclaw." Fred mocked.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked, with worry evident in her tone.

"He's looking for Sheth. He'll meet us back at The Burrow." Harry replied.

"Hermione needs to go to St. -" Molly began but was cut off by Hermione.

"I'm fine. We need to get to the Burrow."

"You're not fine. Just a minute ago you were-" Molly spoke firmly.

"Trust me." Hermione interjected.

"You're granddaughter has enough power to revive a dead cyclops." Luna's voice piped up from behind Neville's tall frame.

"I'm not sure that I understand." Molly's voice wavered slightly.

"The baby gave Ron and Hermione their powers. It wasn't Hermione that could heal herself it was the baby." Neville explained.

"Wow. It didn't know that you paid so much attention." George said.

"Yeah, even we didn't know that." Fred spoke.

"Hermione told us like seven times. How can you not know that?" Ginny said.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you say something?" Fred asked with a ridiculous smirk plastered across his face. Ginny just sighed.

Arthur approached the group to tell them that Kingsley had gone back to the ministry with the uninjured Aurors. Their next step was to track down the men that had fled the scene. The injured Aurors were being apparated to St. Mungos.

One by one The Dragon League left the collapsing volcano. Hermione and her new daughter side-apparated with Arthur.

"George! Grab the puppy!" Fred said excitedly as he enthusiastically pointed towards the lanky puppy that was just sitting there looking at them through sad eyes.

"Come 'ere, little guy." George said as he bent down to pick up the pup. "Fred and I will look after you."

"We'll pick up some dog food later." Fred added before himself, George and Puff the puppy apparated for the Burrow.

* * *

"SHETH!" Ron's voice boomed out over the sound of falling rock. It had been half an hour since the Dragon League had left and the cave was becoming more and more active as time passed.

"SHETH!" Ron yelled loudly hoping the young boy would show himself soon.

"SHETH! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ron thought his efforts were useless until…

"Help!" A small pleading cry rose above the sound of the cracking cave.

"SHETH!"

"Over here!" Sheth cried. Ron could hear his voice but he couldn't get a visual on the crying boy.

"WHERE?! I CAN'T SEE YOU!"

"I'm in the wall!"

 _Well that narrows it down_. Ron thought sarcastically to himself. "THE WALL?!"

"Yeah. Over here!" Ron still couldn't see the boy but he hopped carefully to where he thought he heard his voice.

"SHETH?!"

"I'm still here. Don't worry. I'm not go anywhere!" His voice seemed to have risen in spirit since he realised he wasn't alone.

Ron scanned the wall in front of him. He even banged his fist against the wall to try and find an opening.

"Down here!" came the voice again only this time much louder. Ron peered down to find a small hand extending out from the wall. Ron knelt down to peek in through the tiny hole. He saw Sheth standing within the wall.

"The falling rocks must have blocked you in there."

"They did! I saw it! I gots told not to go nowhere. So I stay here. Now I stuck." Sheth looked sadly into Ron's blue eyes.

"Don't worry, Champion. I'll get you out." Ron said as he rose to his feet and studied the wall. It was not going to budge.

"Daddy calls me champion." Sheth smiled. Ron squatted down to Sheth's height once more. Ron's face was solemn.

"Sheth… Daddy… wanted to let you know… how proud he was of you." Ron started, not knowing what to say or how to say it. "He loved you very much and he wanted you to be strong." Sheth was just staring at Ron. "Sheth…Your daddy is…not here."

Sheth's brow furrowed. "Not here, away? Or not here, dead?"

"Not here, dead." Another vicious quake tore through the cave sending large chunks of the cave floor into the acid river below. Sheth started to cry. Ron didn't know if it was because of the quake or the fact that his father… adoptive father…was dead.

"Sheth, take my hand." Ron held his hand out.

"No! I want Daddy!"

"Daddy's dead, Sheth!"

"I don't want Riddle to take me!"

"Riddle won't take you. He's dead. Daddy made sure of it!"

"Daddy kill Riddle?"

"Yes! So you could live! So come on, before we both die."

Sheth shoved his hand through the hole of the wall. His tiny hand was immediately engulfed in Ron's giant hand. Within seconds the deafening roars of collapsing rock were replaced with gasps and cheers of welcomed friends and family. They were standing near the front door of the Burrow. There was grass below their feet and fresh air brushed against their senses.

Sheth let go of Ron's hand and looked up at him with a beaming smile, his cheeks still wet with tears. The two were swamped by friends and family. Who whooped and hollered in cheer. Sheth was raised onto Fred and George's shoulders while Ron continued to search through the crowd.

"Where's 'Mione?" Both Sheth and Ron spoke with equal agitation.

"Come with me, Ronnikins." Molly chuckled at her youngest son.

Ron followed his mother up the stairs towards Hermione's room. Molly opened the door and allowed her son to enter. "I'll be in the kitchen making breakfast if you need me." She whispered softly before making her leave.

"'Mione?" Ron asked as he cautiously limped into the room.

"Mm?" Came a tired moan from the bed in front of him. _Good she was alive_. Ron thought. He managed to make his way to the side of the bed without tripping over the stacks of books. Most of them were about volcanos.

"'Mione?"

"Yes." She spoke.

"You're alive." He grinned unable to hide his pleasure.

"Barely." Hermione smiled back at him. She was lying on her side. She was obviously exhausted. She managed to roll stiffly onto her back revealing her belly bump.

Ron's grin vanished from his face. He remembered how he had lost his powers. The powers which his daughter had given him. "The baby." His voice cracked. He ran his hand over her bump, gasping when his hand sunk into her belly rather than resting on the tight bulge.

"The baby isn't in there." Hermione said. Ron turned to face her. His eyes were starting to water at the realisation that he had never seen his daughter. He looked back at Hermione's belly and began to play with the squishy flesh as he processed what had happened.

"Stop playing with it!" Hermione squawked as she attempted to bat his hands away. "It's not a toy!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to come to terms with it!" Ron yelled back, hating the fact that Hermione wasn't even the least bit upset about the loss of their daughter.

"Ron, you'll wake-"

A cry erupted from the basinet on the other side of the bed. On his entry he had been too busy looking where he was going to see the white bassinet next to Hermione's bed. The cry scared Ron so much that jumped in fright and tripped over a stack books. He brought another stack down on top of him when he tried to regain balance. Rolling on the floor he managed knock down another three stacks. Ron swore colourfully as he flailed from beneath the growing pile of books.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" He called from the ground as he tried to climb out from underneath the mountain of books.

"Ronald! I thought we went through this, no swearing in front of the baby!" Hermione reprimanded him as she leant over the bassinet to lift the tiny baby from its bed.

"Baby?"

"Yes! Don't you remember?" Hermione asked. She paled with shock as she realised. "You thought she was dead."

"Of course I did!" He said loudly as he picked himself up off of the ground. He was now standing on top of the mountain of books. He grinned widely as he took in the picture before him. His daughter was snoring softly from his fiancé's arms. "I was fighting Riddle when I lost my powers. I thought she had died."

"I lost my powers too." Hermione said gently as she turned to show Ron their baby. "I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like for you; not knowing what was happening." Ron clambered onto the bed and snugged in close to Hermione's side. He draped his arm over her shoulder.

"I felt confused… when my powers suddenly vanished. I didn't know what was happening. Then I saw you," Ron's voice went quiet, "Covered in blood. I thought you were dead. I thought you both were."

Hermione's eyes were rimmed with tears. "I'm sorry." Her voice was barely audible. "I'm so sorry, Ronald."

"It's not your fault, Hermione. And neither of you are dead so it doesn't matter anyway. Now let me have a look at our daughter." He said as he reached over to stroke the child's head.

She looked at her daughter's face. "I know most babies are born with blue eyes but hers are just as blue as yours."

Ron chuckled as he began to play with her fingers. The sensation woke her and as she blinked from the light Ron saw her electric blue eyes for the first time. "Hermione, that's not normal."

"Ron, don't say things like that about our baby. Besides, just because we don't have our powers anymore doesn't mean that she doesn't have any."

"She still has powers?"

"She healed me. I was injured during the birth. I was bleeding out. If she hadn't heal me when she did, I would probably be dead."

"She saved your life?"

"Yes, she did."

Ron leant down and kissed the baby's head. "Good on you, er… does she have a name?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Me? You know I'm useless with names."

"I was thinking 'Eve'. It means 'Giver of Life."

"Eve Hermione Weasley." Ron crooned as he brushed his palm softly over the baby's head.

"Oh no, not my name. Don't use my name."

"Come on, 'Mione, you know I can't pick decent names."

"Just as long as it's not my name. What about Cedrella?" Hermione suggested.

"Cedrella?" Ron said softly to himself. "My dad's mum."

"She was disowned by the Black family because of her none biased views on blood purity. She was a good Slytherin. Cedrella also means 'Love'. I also like the name Rose. But the meaning didn't suit her." She remarked as she looked down at her daughter. "So that name will have to wait until the next one."

"The next one?" Ron was shocked. Eve was barely a day old and Hermione was already thinking of future children.

"The next child we have. If it's a girl of course." She said.

"Eve Cedrella Weasley." He said as he looked down at his daughter.

"Eve Cedrella Wealsey." Hermione Repeated.

"I do like your name though. Besides Ginny's already put dibs on 'Molly' for when she has kids with Harry."

"Does Harry know of this?" Hermione chuckled.

"Nope." Ron grinned.

A soft knock at the door alerted them. "Come in." Hermione called.

"I want to talk with Wonnal." Sheth's tiny voice filled the room.

"Come here, Champion." Ron smiled.

Sheth giggled and ran over the books to lunge at Ron. "Thank you for saving me, Wonnal." Hermione giggled at his mispronunciation. Sheth looked over at the baby in Hermione's arms. He trampled over Ron and sat in his lap to get a better view of the baby.

"Is that your baby?" He asked Hermione.

"It is." She answered.

"Did she come from your tummy?"

"She did." Hermione giggled at Sheth's intrigue.

"Does that make you her Daddy?"

"That makes me her Mummy."

"Her Mummy? What's that?"

"A Mummy is someone like me. A grown up girl, a woman, who has a baby."

"Oh. Are you her Daddy?" He turned to Ron. Ron just nodded. "I don't have a Daddy anymore." Sheth sighed as he patted Eve's head softly. Hermione just stared at Ron.

Ron leaned in close. "Harvey was killed by the stone for killing Riddle. He saved my life." Hermione just stared at Ron at this news. They heard Molly yell something about peanut butter biscuits and Sheth was out of the room and down the stairs before they could say 'quidditch'.

"Harvey wasn't even his real father." Ron spoke again after carefully taking Eve in his own arms, cradling her head gently, rocking her back to sleep.

"What?"

"Riddle was his father. Riddle shunned him from day one so Harvey took him in as his own."

"He what?" Came the small voice from the door. Sheth stood there with an arm load of biscuits. "Daddy not my real daddy?" He began to tear up again. He dropped the biscuits and ran up the stairs. He didn't know where he was going but he wanted to get away from there.

"Sheth." Hermione called out after him. The poor boy had been through hell and now to make things worse he'd found out that Harvey wasn't even his real dad. Hermione made a move to go after him but was stopped by Ron.

"He'll be fine for a couple of minutes. We need to speak with Mum and Dad." He said calmly as he tried to get off the bed. He managed to get off the bed without waking the sleeping baby in his arms.

* * *

It had only been an hour but for Sheth it seemed longer. The three-year-old had run up the stairs and past all the rooms. His little legs carried him further until he reached the top. His round face was red from exhaustion, his eyes sore from the tears. He opened the old door in front of him and ran inside.

Directly ahead was a small single bed. Sheth glanced around the room and noticed the orange and maroon colours spread across the place. Sheth walked slowly over to the posters hanging on the wall. He had heard of wizards flying on brooms but had never witnessed it before.

He ran his hands over the posters before turning to look at the small dresser. The dresser was just his size. Whoever lived in here must be around his size. Sheth strolled over to the other side of the room. It was quite large, he had never had a bedroom this big before. This person must be very important.

Ever since the destruction of the original Burrow Arthur and Molly had worked hard to rebuild a better Burrow. This Burrow still relied on magic to hold its crooked frame but the wooden floor boards weren't chipped, the carpet was new and the colours were warm and bright. Most of the Weasley's old ornaments were destroyed in the fire so they didn't have much placed in any of the rooms. This made the place look bigger and cleaner but it still held strongly onto the Weasley vibe. Ron's new room was still placed at the top of the Burrow. Although it was twice the size of his old room, it was still covered in the shocking orange; his walls plastered with pictures and posters of the Chudley Cannons. Sheth had never been in this room before. When he had stayed here with the Dragon League he had camped out down stairs with 'Nelly' and 'Wonnal'.

Sheth looked out the window and saw the enormous backyard. He had seen it before but never from this height. He headed back to the bed and climbed up on top of it. He fell backwards resting his head on the pillow behind and exhaled as he shuffled his small body under the covers. And there he had stayed for the last hour. _Had they forgotten him? Did they not want to see him again? Were they waiting for him to leave? Where would he go? He couldn't go back home. There was no home and there was no one he knew left alive_.

He heard a soft knock at the door. He laid on the bed completely still with the blanket still covering his body.

"Sheth, it's me. I just want to talk." Ron's muffled voice came from the other side of the wooden door. No answer. "Sheth. Come on, open the door."

"Can't! I in bed!"

Ron smirked and opened the door. He entered his room followed by Harry. They looked over at the bed to find Sheth snuggled under the Chudley blanket. "Can we sit down?" Ron asked the young boy. Sheth brought his short legs to his chest to make room for Ron and Harry to sit on the bed. Not that he needed to move his legs at all.

"Riddle is my real daddy is he?" Sheth looked up at Ron with his big brown eyes.

"Yes, Riddle is your real daddy." Ron said as he fiddled with his fingers.

"But…what about Dad…Daddy… the other Daddy…My Daddy?" Sheth asked.

"Harvey will always be your Daddy." Harry spoke with clarity.

"Only 'cause Riddle didn't want me. Nobody wanted me now. It's 'cause I not brave enough."

"That's not true. I think you're very brave. I would be very proud to have someone like you as a son." Ron said as he looked down at Sheth who was currently playing with the edge of the blanket.

"But you have a girl not a son." Sheth said as if Ron didn't know this already.

"Yes, that's true. Ron does have a baby girl." Harry responded gently.

"But I don't have a brave champion son." Ron finished and sighed as he leant back on his bed. "Harry, where am I going to find a brave champion?"

"I heard about this one champion. Apparently he survived a volcanic explosion." Harry answered.

"That sounds like a very brave boy. Do you know where I could find a son like that?" Ron turned to face Harry.

Sheth's hand flew into the air like a rocket. His little mouth stretched as he rose onto his knees trying to lift his arm higher. Ron looked at the display and chuckled. "Do you know anyone like that?" Ron asked Sheth.

"I did that!" Sheth hollered and sat back on his heels. "You're talking about me!" Sheth smiled widely.

"I am." Ron answered. "Sheth… Would you like to come live with Hermione and me?"

"Really?" Sheth paused and gazed at Ron.

"Yeah, really. You don't even have to call me 'Daddy'. You can just call me 'Wonnal'." Sheth smiled and nodded his head frantically before jumping into Ron's lap.

* * *

************************* **EPILOGUE** *************************

 **(2 Years Later)**

It had been a year and 8 months since Ron and Hermione were officially declared husband and wife. The wedding had been decked out in white and blue ribbons and the entire Weasley clan had been there to celebrate. Little Sheth had bounced down the aisle happily almost dropping the rings that'd been placed upon the soft blue pillow.

It was now April 2001 and Hermione was fixing her hair with the assistance of the dining room mirror. Two-year-old Eve was standing on one of the chairs hunched over the table drawing frantically with her pencils. Every now and again she would use the pencil in her hand to wipe away the frizzy brown mess of hair that constantly obstructed her view.

She wasn't drawing anything in particular but she loved the way the pencil left strange marks across the white page.

"We'll have to set the table soon." Mummy said as she pierced her ear with the earring. "Uncle Harry and Aunty Ginny will be here shortly." She added. Eve's face broke into a lopsided grin and she began to clear her station, ready to help Mummy with the table.

As she was placing the last of her pencils in the container she turned towards Mummy, drew in a sharp breath and sneezed loudly. A small, blue force field emitted from Eve's hands sending her backwards onto her bottom. The shock rendered her speechless and soon she was on the verge of crying.

"This happens every time you have a cold." Hermione said soothingly as she picked her daughter up. Eve rested her fuzzy head into the crook of Hermione's neck. "We've really got to get this under control."

Eve leant back to look into her mother's eyes. "Choo Boo!"

"Choo? Yes, that was a sneeze. You just scared yourself, that's all."

A loud _bang_ was heard from upstairs and soon the figures of a five-year-old boy-child and a twenty-year-old man-child came racing down the stairs covered in dark ash snickering quietly between themselves.

"Explain." Hermione said as she took a deep breath and put Eve back on the ground.

"Daddy was showing me how to make objects fly," Sheth paused to get his giggles out before continuing, "And he set the whole couch on fire!" Sheth roared into laughter which only made Eve want to join in the fun so she started to giggle along with Sheth.

""YOU WHAT?!" Hermione yelled as she made her way to inspect Sheth for any injuries.

"I didn't mean to!" Ron yelled back.

"Did you honestly think you could make the couch fly?!"

"No, not the couch, Mummy." Sheth said as he calmed himself down. "The feather on the couch. Daddy tried. Swish, flick, BOOM! And the couch was on fire!" Sheth used his arms to emphasise every detail.

"Are you sure you aimed it at the feather?" Hermione inquired as she pointed to the wand in Ron's hand.

"Of course, I'm sure. I was standing two feet away from it!" Ron calmed his voice slightly. He looked at Sheth for backup then back to where Hermione was standing. "Hermione?"

"Yes." She answered staring at the three faces before her.

"Uhh…Are you feeling ok?" He asked quietly. His sudden change in tone unnerved her.

"I feel fine, Ronald."

"You haven't been feeling nauseated or… bloated lately?" He asked softly.

"No. Why? Do I look fat to you?" She was starting to get frustrated.

" _Look_? Hermione, I can barely see you!" He said in the direction of where he thought his wife was.

Hermione raced back over to the mirror in the dining room. She stood directly in front of it as she did before only this time her reflection wasn't there. _Where did my body go and why am I invisible?_ Then it struck her. She replayed Ron's previous questions in her head. "Oh, not again."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** No one was harmed during the making of this chapter. Except for maybe two-year-old Eve when she sneezed and fell on her butt.

 **A/N:** So that's it guys. The end. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Bless you guys for sticking with this story. I'm not sure if there is going to be a sequel yet. But I'll let you know if there is going to be one. Stay tuned for more fanfics.


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